Lewis Carroll's Doublets
Before word ladders had a name, Lewis Carroll made them up. He came up with the idea around Christmas 1877 and published the puzzles in Vanity Fair in 1879. He called each puzzle a Doublet.
The rule is the one Word Climb still uses: change one letter at a time, and every step has to be a real word. Below are some of his classic challenges. Try them in your head, then tap to see one way up.
"Par" is the fewest moves it can be done in with the Word Climb dictionary. The answers shown use everyday words, so some take a few more moves than par. Can you match it?
The challenges
Drive PIG into STYpar 5
Show one way up
PIG → BIG → BAG → BAY → SAY → STY
5 moves
Make TEA HOTpar 3
Show one way up
TEA → LEA → LET → LOT → HOT
4 moves
Cover EYE with LIDpar 3
Show one way up
EYE → DYE → DIE → LIE → LID
4 moves
Change WET to DRYpar 4
Show one way up
WET → BET → BAT → BAY → DAY → DRY
5 moves
Change OAT to RYEpar 4
Show one way up
OAT → BAT → BET → BEE → BYE → RYE
5 moves
Change LOAF to CAKEpar 6
Show one way up
LOAF → LOAD → LORD → CORD → CARD → CARE → CAKE
6 moves
Run COMB into HAIRpar 7
Show one way up
COMB → COME → HOME → HOLE → HALE → HALL → HAIL → HAIR
7 moves
Raise FOUR to FIVEpar 6
Show one way up
FOUR → FOUL → FOIL → FAIL → FALL → FILL → FILE → FIVE
7 moves
Evolve MAN from APEpar 5
Show one way up
APE → ARE → ARM → AIM → AID → MID → MAD → MAN
7 moves
Get COAL from the MINEpar 6
Show one way up
MINE → FINE → FIND → FOND → FOOD → FOOL → COOL → COAL
7 moves
Turn TEARS into SMILEpar 6
Show one way up
TEARS → SEARS → STARS → STARE → STALE → STILE → SMILE
6 moves
Make WHEAT into BREADpar 7
Show one way up
WHEAT → CHEAT → CHEAP → CHEEP → CREEP → CREED → BREED → BREAD
7 moves
Prove GRASS to be GREENpar 8
Show one way up
GRASS → CRASS → CRESS → TRESS → TREES → FREES → FREED → GREED → GREEN
8 moves
Turn POOR into RICHpar 7
Show one way up
POOR → POOL → POLL → PILL → PILE → PIPE → RIPE → RICE → RICH
8 moves
Want a new one every day?
Word Climb has a fresh word ladder every day, the same one for everybody.
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Stuck on your own pair of words? Try the word ladder solver, or print some free word ladders.