Word Ladder

You get a start word and a target word, and you change one letter at a time to climb from one to the other. Every rung of the ladder has to be a real word. Letters that already match the target light up, and the planner shows how many steps remain on the shortest route.

Yes - Easy, Medium, or Hard. The setting tweaks how long the shortest route between the two words is, so you can scale the challenge up or down depending on your mood.

Each puzzle has a set shortest path, so you're scored against it: match it and you get full points, take detours and each extra step costs 20, use a hint and that's 15 off. Your best runs are saved so you can try to beat them.

That's what hints are for. They escalate slowly: first which letter position to change, then the letter itself, and only if you keep asking, a full word suggestion. You can also undo a wrong step, or give up and watch the whole path play out.

Sure - after a round, hit Challenge a Friend and send the link to anyone. They'll get the same ladder, and you can see who finds the shorter path and ends up with the better score.