Daily Word Ladder Solution 2026-08-25: THICK → BRAVE

Date: 2026-08-25

THICK → BRAVE

Difficulty: Medium Goal Steps: 6 5 Letters

Today's Word Ladder puzzle connects THICK to BRAVE in 6 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 THICK → TRICK

Change the 2nd letter H to R, turning THICK into TRICK.

Step 2 TRICK → TRACK

Change the 3rd letter I to A, turning TRICK into TRACK.

Step 3 TRACK → TRACE

Change the 5th letter K to E, turning TRACK into TRACE.

Step 4 TRACE → GRACE

Change the 1st letter T to G, turning TRACE into GRACE.

Step 5 GRACE → GRAVE

Change the 4th letter C to V, turning GRACE into GRAVE.

Step 6 GRAVE → BRAVE

Change the 1st letter G to B, turning GRAVE into BRAVE.

Puzzle Insights

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

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

Letter mix: V→V 1, V→C 0, C→V 1, C→C 4.

Word stats: 7 words, 11 unique letters. Start/target share 0 positions.

Try It Before You Reveal the Path

Cover the steps and work from both THICK and BRAVE first. This ladder needs 6 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 H to R first, but saves position 1 (G to B) for the finish. That is a useful reminder to enter a familiar word family before forcing the final spelling.

At the midpoint, TRACE 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 THICK to BRAVE without looking at the route and compare your reasoning with the solution.