Word Ladder Game: Rules and Examples

A word ladder game asks you to turn one word into another by changing a single letter at a time, with every step a real word. It is simple to learn and hard to master. This guide covers the rules, where it came from, a few famous ladders, and the daily versions you can play today, including our own daily Feetle.

Word ladder game rules

• Both words have the same length, usually four letters.
• Each step changes exactly one letter and keeps the others in place.
• Every word on the ladder must be a real word.
• The goal is the shortest ladder, though any finished ladder counts.

Lewis Carroll and Doublets

Lewis Carroll invented the puzzle on Christmas Day 1877, for two young friends who said they had nothing to do. He called it Doublets, and from 1879 the magazine Vanity Fair ran his puzzles as a competition. His first published example turned HEAD into TAIL. Feetle works the same way: the first Feetle asked players to turn GAVE into FEET.

1. HEAD
2. 1HEAL
3. 2TEAL
4. 3TELL
5. 4TALL
6. 5TAIL

Carroll called the words in between "links". Later writers used names like word golf, laddergram and word chain, but "word ladder" stuck.

Classic word ladder examples

Some pairs are favourites because the ladder is short but not obvious:

• COLD to WARM: COLD, CORD, CARD, WARD, WARM.
• LOVE to HATE: LOVE, HOVE, HAVE, HATE.
• WORK to PLAY: WORK, PORK, PERK, PEAK, PEAT, PLAT, PLAY.

You can check any pair, and find every shortest ladder, with our word ladder solver.

Daily word ladder games

Daily word ladders took off after Wordle made one-puzzle-a-day games popular. Feetle, by feetle.fun, fixes the goal at FEET and changes the start word each day, an idea it credits to Poople. Our version follows the same rules with our own daily puzzles: read how to play Feetle, try Feetle Unlimited for endless practice, or look up a past Feetle answer.

Word ladder game FAQ

Who invented the word ladder game?

Lewis Carroll, the author of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, published the puzzle as "Doublets" in Vanity Fair in 1879, having invented it on Christmas Day 1877.

What is a good word ladder for beginners?

Short ladders between common words, such as CAT to DOG (CAT, COT, COG, DOG). Four-letter ladders like Feetle are the classic next step.

Are word ladders good for learning?

Yes. Teachers use word ladders to practise spelling, vowel sounds and vocabulary, because every step has to be a real word.