How to play word ladder
Turn the starting word into the target. Each step changes exactly one letter in the same position and makes another word.
- Read the current word and the target.
- Type a four-letter word, changing one letter. Choose Add word or press Enter.
- Keep going until your word matches the target. You can take more than the shortest number of steps.
A two-step first ladder
BARK → BARN → BORN
BARK becomes BARN by changing its last letter from K to N. BARN becomes BORN by changing its second letter from A to O. All three words are in this game’s list. You cannot jump from BARK straight to BORN: that changes two letters.
Which words count?
The game uses a selected list of 585 four-letter words. It does not accept every word in a general English dictionary. Show options lists all accepted words one change away from your current word. Options may lead toward or away from the target.
Letters stay in position: do not add, remove or rearrange them. Reusing an earlier word is allowed. Any valid route to the target completes the ladder; you do not have to copy one hidden answer.
Hint and Undo
Hint names a word one step along a shortest route from where you are now, using this word list. It explains which letter changes. Choose Add to use the suggested word, or Dismiss to keep thinking.
Undo reverses your most recent action, including draft edits and hints. The last 100 actions survive a refresh. Restart asks before clearing the current ladder and its Undo history. There is no timer or failed-guess allowance.
Daily and Practice
Rungpetal has 49 original ladders. Practice and Daily share this finite collection. Daily rotates by UTC date and repeats after 49 days. Your selected Daily date stays open until you choose Play today’s ladder; the older dated record is kept.
Continue in practice returns to your current practice ladder. Next ladder asks before leaving an unfinished attempt. Its saved record stays in the collection; cycle through the ladders to return. When saving fails, temporary moves stay in this tab and may be lost if you close it.
Keyboard
Type the next word and press Enter. Tab reaches every button, including Show options and Hint. U undoes when focus is outside the text input. Input composition and browser shortcuts are left to your browser.