Word Ladder Solver

This word ladder solver finds the shortest path between any two four-letter words, changing one letter per step. Leave the goal empty to solve a Feetle ladder to FEET. It lists every shortest ladder, not just one.

How the word ladder solver finds the shortest path

Think of the dictionary as a map. Each four-letter word is a town, and a road joins two towns when the words differ by one letter: COLD and CORD, CORD and WORD. A ladder is a trip along those roads. The solver runs a breadth-first search outward from the goal, which labels every word with its distance, then walks back from the start word along every road that gets one step closer. That gives every shortest ladder at once.

By default it uses common words only, the same list that sets par on our Feetle answer pages. Tick Allow rare words to search the full dictionary; rare words like BAUD sometimes shorten a ladder by a step.

Using the solver for Feetle

Stuck on a daily Feetle, or on the original Feetle #9? Put the start word in and leave the goal empty. If you only want a nudge, the answer pages give hints one at a time instead. For more practice, play Feetle Unlimited, read how to play Feetle, or learn the history of the word ladder game.

Word ladder solver FAQ

How does the word ladder solver work?

It treats every four-letter word as a point and links two words when they differ by one letter. A breadth-first search from the start word finds the shortest distance to the goal, and the solver then lists every ladder of that length.

Why does the solver say no ladder exists?

Some words have no one-letter neighbours among common words, so no common ladder reaches them. Tick Allow rare words to search the full dictionary, which links far more words.

Can it solve words longer than four letters?

Not yet. It is tuned for four-letter ladders like Feetle. Five-letter support is on our list.