Getting Word Steps ready…
One word, one changed letter
A useful-looking word is not always a legal move. Start at COLD and work towards WARM.
Which word is a valid first move from COLD?
Try CARD
CARD changes two positions: O becomes A and L becomes R. Even though CARD is a word, Word Steps accepts exactly one changed letter per move.
Try CORD
CORD changes only L to R and is accepted by the game. From there, WORD, WARD and WARM finish a four-change path.
COLD → CORD → WORD → WARD → WARM
Try WARM
WARM is the target, but all four positions differ from COLD. Reach it through intermediate words, changing one letter each time.
Count changes between adjacent words, not letters you want to fix eventually. This example takes four changes: all four positions differ between COLD and WARM, and the illustrated path changes each once.
Read the worked Word Steps guideAbout Word Steps
Turn COLD into WARM one letter at a time, through real words — five ladders against the clock.
Word Steps is a word ladder puzzle: a puzzle of small changes. You are given a four-letter word and a target, and you have to get from one to the other by changing one letter at a time — and every word on the way has to be a real word. COLD becomes CORD, then WORD, WARD and finally WARM. There are usually many ways through; the fun is in finding one, and the skill is in finding a short one fast.
A round is five ladders, each a step longer than the one before, from three changes to six. Your time is the time for all five, measured by our server. Stuck? A hint shows you the next word on a shortest way from where you are, and adds twenty seconds. The leaderboard is monthly: it resets on the 1st of every month at 00:00 UTC.
How to play
- Press Start. The start word is at the top and the target at the bottom.
- Tap a letter of your current word to choose it, then tap — or type — the letter to put in its place.
- If the new word is a real word, it is added to your ladder. If not, it is refused and nothing is lost.
- Reach the target to move on to the next ladder. Undo steps back one word.
- Stuck? Hint adds the next word on a shortest way, for twenty seconds on your time.
- Climb all five ladders to finish. Sign in to put your time on the monthly leaderboard.
Tips
- Look for the letters the start and target already share — those can often stay put the whole way.
- Try changing the vowel first: it often has the most real words around it, as in BALL, BELL, BILL and BULL.
- If a letter has to change but no word allows it yet, change a different letter first to open the way.
- Common endings like -ATE, -ING and -OLD give lots of words to move between.
- A hint costs twenty seconds — usually less than staring at a stuck ladder does.
Guides
Questions players ask
Which words count?
Everyday English four-letter words, from the SCOWL word lists, without proper names and without offensive words. If a word is refused, try another — nothing is lost.
Do I have to find the shortest way?
No. Any way through counts; the shortest is shown only so you know what is possible. Your score is your time.
When does the leaderboard reset?
On the 1st of every month at 00:00 UTC. The final standings are kept: the top three of each month receive an honour on their profile, and your best time never resets.
Do I need an account to play?
No. Press Start and you play straight away under a guest name. Sign in with an account you already have to put your time on the monthly leaderboard.
Leaderboard
All boardsMonthly season · ends in 1d 22h (Sun 1 Nov, 00:00 UTC)
- 1LuckyLuck4411:59.54