Daily Word Ladder Solution 2026-04-20: WELLS → BASED

Date: 2026-04-20

WELLS → BASED

Difficulty: Hard Goal Steps: 8 5 Letters

Today's Word Ladder puzzle connects WELLS to BASED in 8 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 WELLS → WALLS

Change the 2nd letter E to A, turning WELLS into WALLS.

Step 2 WALLS → WALES

Change the 4th letter L to E, turning WALLS into WALES.

Step 3 WALES → MALES

Change the 1st letter W to M, turning WALES into MALES.

Step 4 MALES → MAKES

Change the 3rd letter L to K, turning MALES into MAKES.

Step 5 MAKES → CAKES

Change the 1st letter M to C, turning MAKES into CAKES.

Step 6 CAKES → CASES

Change the 3rd letter K to S, turning CAKES into CASES.

Step 7 CASES → BASES

Change the 1st letter C to B, turning CASES into BASES.

Step 8 BASES → BASED

Change the 5th letter S to D, turning BASES into BASED.

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: 2, 4, 1, 3, 1, 3, 1, 5.

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

Word stats: 9 words, 10 unique letters. Start/target share 0 positions.

Try It Before You Reveal the Path

Cover the steps and work from both WELLS and BASED 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 2 from E to A first, but saves position 5 (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, MAKES matches 2 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 WELLS to BASED without looking at the route and compare your reasoning with the solution.