Word ladder answers for October 8, 2026
The daily ladder for Thursday, October 8, 2026 had 5 puzzles. The quickest was RAGS to EARS, solvable in 3 steps, and the longest was DROWN to BLACKS, which needs at least 6.
Solutions are folded away until you open them, so you can have a go first. We show one shortest path per puzzle. Plenty of ladders have two or three paths of the same length, so if yours doesn't match and has the same step count, it's just as good.
Puzzle 1: RAGS to EARS
Show the solution
- G becomes T
- R becomes E
- T becomes R
Words in this ladder
- RAGS noun
- a small piece of cloth or paper
- RATS noun
- any of various long-tailed rodents similar to but larger than a mouse
- EATS noun
- informal terms for a meal
- EARS noun
- the sense organ for hearing and equilibrium
Puzzle 2: SEAM to REED
Show the solution
- A becomes E
- M becomes D
- S becomes R
Words in this ladder
- SEAM noun
- joint consisting of a line formed by joining two pieces
- SEEM verb
- give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
- SEED noun
- a small hard fruit
- REED noun
- tall woody perennial grasses with hollow slender stems especially of the genera Arundo and Phragmites
Puzzle 3: CONVENE to CONCEIT
Show the solution
- E becomes T
- N becomes R
- V becomes C
- R becomes I
Words in this ladder
- CONVENE verb
- meet formally
- CONVENT noun
- a religious residence especially for nuns
- CONVERT noun
- a person who has been converted to another religious or political belief
- CONCERT noun
- a performance of music by players or singers not involving theatrical staging
- CONCEIT noun
- feelings of excessive pride
Puzzle 4: EDDY to SLEDGE
Show the solution
- D becomes G
- Y becomes E
- add L
- add S
Words in this ladder
- EDDY noun
- founder of Christian Science in 1866 (1821-1910)
- EDGY adjective
- being in a tense state
- EDGE noun
- the boundary of a surface
- LEDGE noun
- a projecting ridge on a mountain or submerged under water
- SLEDGE noun
- a vehicle mounted on runners and pulled by horses or dogs; for transportation over snow
Puzzle 5: DROWN to BLACKS
Show the solution
- D becomes B
- R becomes L
- N becomes S
- W becomes C
- add K
- O becomes A
Words in this ladder
- DROWN verb
- cover completely or make imperceptible
- BROWN noun
- an orange of low brightness and saturation
- BLOWN verb
- exhale hard
- BLOWS noun
- a powerful stroke with the fist or a weapon
- BLOCS noun
- a group of countries in special alliance
- BLOCKS noun
- a solid piece of something (usually having flat rectangular sides)
- BLACKS noun
- the quality or state of the achromatic color of least lightness (bearing the least resemblance to white)
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