Word Ladder Daily
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Today's Word Ladder puzzle connects DAIRY to BUSES in 8 steps. This 5-letter word puzzle challenges your vocabulary and logic skills. Can you find the shortest path?
Play This PuzzleStep-by-Step Solution
Puzzle Insights
Change positions: pos 1: 3, pos 2: 1, pos 3: 2, pos 4: 1, pos 5: 1. Most-changed position: 1 (3).
Change sequence: 1, 3, 1, 4, 3, 5, 1, 2.
Letter mix: V→V 1, V→C 1, C→V 1, C→C 5.
Word stats: 9 words, 11 unique letters. Start/target share 0 positions.
Try It Before You Reveal the Path
Cover the steps and work from both DAIRY and BUSES first. This ladder needs 8 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 1 from D to H first, but saves position 2 (A to U) for the finish. That is a useful reminder to enter a familiar word family before forcing the final spelling.
At the midpoint, CAREY 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 DAIRY to BUSES without looking at the route and compare your reasoning with the solution.