Word ladder answers for October 14, 2026
The daily ladder for Wednesday, October 14, 2026 had 5 puzzles. The quickest was NOON to MOURN, solvable in 3 steps, and the longest was ANY to AMUSE, 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: NOON to MOURN
Show the solution
- N becomes M
- O becomes R
- add U
Words in this ladder
- NOON noun
- the middle of the day
- MOON noun
- the natural satellite of the Earth
- MORN noun
- the time period between dawn and noon
- MOURN verb
- feel sadness
Puzzle 2: OWN to GROAN
Show the solution
- add G
- add R
- W becomes A
Words in this ladder
- OWN verb
- have ownership or possession of
- GOWN noun
- a woman's dress, usually with a close-fitting bodice and a long flared skirt, often worn on formal occasions
- GROWN verb
- pass into a condition gradually, take on a specific property or attribute; become
- GROAN noun
- an utterance expressing pain or disapproval
Puzzle 3: BALES to BOWED
Show the solution
- L becomes R
- A becomes O
- S becomes D
- R becomes W
Words in this ladder
- BALES noun
- a large bundle bound for storage or transport
- BARES verb
- lay bare
- BORES noun
- a person who evokes boredom
- BORED verb
- cause to be bored
- BOWED verb
- bend one's knee or body, or lower one's head
Puzzle 4: WILD to BEING
Show the solution
- L becomes N
- D becomes G
- W becomes R
- add B
- R becomes E
Words in this ladder
- WILD noun
- a wild primitive state untouched by civilization
- WIND noun
- air moving (sometimes with considerable force) from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure
- WING noun
- a movable organ for flying (one of a pair)
- RING noun
- a characteristic sound
- BRING verb
- take something or somebody with oneself somewhere
- BEING noun
- the state or fact of existing
Puzzle 5: ANY to AMUSE
Show the solution
- add M
- Y becomes E
- N becomes L
- A becomes U
- L becomes S
- add A
Words in this ladder
- ANY adjective
- one or some or every or all without specification
- MANY adjective
- a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by `as' or `too' or `so' or `that'; amounting to a large but indefinite number
- MANE noun
- long coarse hair growing from the crest of the animal's neck
- MALE noun
- an animal that produces gametes (spermatozoa) that can fertilize female gametes (ova)
- MULE noun
- hybrid offspring of a male donkey and a female horse; usually sterile
- MUSE noun
- in ancient Greek mythology any of 9 daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne; protector of an art or science
- AMUSE verb
- occupy in an agreeable, entertaining or pleasant fashion
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