Daily Word Ladder Solution 2026-02-26: LINED → SILLY

Date: 2026-02-26

LINED → SILLY

Difficulty: Medium Goal Steps: 7 5 Letters

Today's Word Ladder puzzle connects LINED to SILLY in 7 steps. This 5-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 LINED → LINES

Change the 5th letter D to S, turning LINED into LINES.

Step 2 LINES → MINES

Change the 1st letter L to M, turning LINES into MINES.

Step 3 MINES → MILES

Change the 3rd letter N to L, turning MINES into MILES.

Step 4 MILES → MILLS

Change the 4th letter E to L, turning MILES into MILLS.

Step 5 MILLS → BILLS

Change the 1st letter M to B, turning MILLS into BILLS.

Step 6 BILLS → BILLY

Change the 5th letter S to Y, turning BILLS into BILLY.

Step 7 BILLY → SILLY

Change the 1st letter B to S, turning BILLY into SILLY.

Puzzle Insights

Change positions: pos 1: 3, pos 3: 1, pos 4: 1, pos 5: 2. Most-changed position: 1 (3).

Change sequence: 5, 1, 3, 4, 1, 5, 1.

Letter mix: V→V 0, V→C 1, C→V 0, C→C 6.

Word stats: 8 words, 9 unique letters. Start/target share 1 position.

Try It Before You Reveal the Path

Cover the steps and work from both LINED and SILLY first. This ladder needs 7 moves, and the endpoints already share 1 letter position—so a useful move does not always look immediately closer to the target.

The recorded route changes position 5 from D to S first, but saves position 1 (B to S) for the finish. That is a useful reminder to enter a familiar word family before forcing the final spelling.

At the midpoint, MILLS matches 3 target positions. 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 LINED to SILLY without looking at the route and compare your reasoning with the solution.