Daily Word Ladder Solution 2026-04-22: COOL → BARN

Date: 2026-04-22

COOL → BARN

Difficulty: Easy Goal Steps: 5 4 Letters

Today's Word Ladder puzzle connects COOL to BARN in 5 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 COOL → COOK

Change the 4th letter L to K, turning COOL into COOK.

Step 2 COOK → CORK

Change the 3rd letter O to R, turning COOK into CORK.

Step 3 CORK → CORN

Change the 4th letter K to N, turning CORK into CORN.

Step 4 CORN → BORN

Change the 1st letter C to B, turning CORN into BORN.

Step 5 BORN → BARN

Change the 2nd letter O to A, turning BORN into BARN.

Puzzle Insights

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

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

Letter mix: V→V 1, V→C 1, C→V 0, C→C 3.

Word stats: 6 words, 8 unique letters. Start/target share 0 positions.

Try It Before You Reveal the Path

Cover the steps and work from both COOL and BARN first. This ladder needs 5 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 L to K first, but saves position 2 (O to A) for the finish. That is a useful reminder to enter a familiar word family before forcing the final spelling.

At the midpoint, CORN matches 2 target positions. On your replay, explain why that bridge gives you more options than a random swap; this path changes position 4 most often.

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