One-letter steps
Word Ladder Solver
Enter two words of the same length. The solver searches our reviewed three-to-six-letter dictionary for a shortest path, then lets you reveal it one rung at a time.
Prefer a nudge before the answer? Open the hints guide →Deterministic tool
41,690 licensed words · 3–6 lettersBuild a valid ladder
Pick an example or write your own same-length pair.
Enter two words of the same length to begin.
How the solver works
The tool uses breadth-first search. It examines all valid one-change neighbors at the current distance before moving farther away, which makes the first returned route shortest within the current dictionary.
Why a valid path may not appear
English word lists disagree about inflections, proper nouns, slang, and regional spelling. This pinned licensed list also includes rare and specialist terms. “No path” means no path was found here; it is not a claim about every possible dictionary.