Daily Word Ladder Solution 2025-11-27: CUTE → DEAN

Date: 2025-11-27

CUTE → DEAN

Difficulty: Medium Goal Steps: 7 4 Letters

Today's Word Ladder puzzle connects CUTE to DEAN in 7 steps. This 4-letter word puzzle challenges your vocabulary and logic skills. Can you find the shortest path?

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Step-by-Step Solution

Step 1 CUTE → CUTS

Change the 4th letter E to S, turning CUTE into CUTS.

Step 2 CUTS → PUTS

Change the 1st letter C to P, turning CUTS into PUTS.

Step 3 PUTS → PETS

Change the 2nd letter U to E, turning PUTS into PETS.

Step 4 PETS → SETS

Change the 1st letter P to S, turning PETS into SETS.

Step 5 SETS → SEAS

Change the 3rd letter T to A, turning SETS into SEAS.

Step 6 SEAS → SEAN

Change the 4th letter S to N, turning SEAS into SEAN.

Step 7 SEAN → DEAN

Change the 1st letter S to D, turning SEAN into DEAN.

Puzzle Insights

Change positions: pos 1: 3, pos 2: 1, pos 3: 1, pos 4: 2. Most-changed position: 1 (3).

Change sequence: 4, 1, 2, 1, 3, 4, 1.

Letter mix: V→V 1, V→C 1, C→V 1, C→C 4.

Word stats: 8 words, 9 unique letters. Start/target share 0 positions.

Try It Before You Reveal the Path

Cover the steps and work from both CUTE and DEAN first. This ladder needs 7 moves, and the endpoints already share 0 letter positions—so a useful move does not always look immediately closer to the target.

The recorded route changes position 4 from E to S first, but saves position 1 (S to D) for the finish. That is a useful reminder to enter a familiar word family before forcing the final spelling.

At the midpoint, SETS matches 1 target position. On your replay, explain why that bridge gives you more options than a random swap; this path changes position 1 most often.

Practice prompt: choose two unfamiliar bridge words, check their definitions, and write a short sentence for each. Then replay CUTE to DEAN without looking at the route and compare your reasoning with the solution.