Transform the start word at the top into the target word at the bottom. Each row must change exactly one letter from the row above, and every intermediate word must be a valid English word. Tap a cell to select it, then type a letter (or use the keypad).
The minimum-length ladder is rarely the only solution — any valid path counts. If stuck, use + ADD STEP to insert a row, or HINT to reveal one letter of a known short solution. The theme hints at how the start and target relate, which often suggests the path. Daily mode shares one puzzle worldwide; RANDOM draws from the full pair pool.
Drift is a daily word-ladder puzzle. Transform a starting word into an ending word by changing one letter at a time — every intermediate must itself be a real word. Word ladders were invented by Lewis Carroll in 1877 (he called them "doublets"); Drift sets one start-end pair per day from a rotating set of 30.
Each step swaps one letter of your current word to form a new valid word. Continue until you reach the target. Every pair has a known shortest route, and several paths can match it.
Start word and end word are given. Change one letter per step; every intermediate must be a valid word. Reach the target in as few steps as possible.
A puzzle invented by Lewis Carroll in 1877 ("doublets"). Connect two words by a sequence of single-letter changes where every word in the chain is real.
Often multiple paths exist. Drift accepts any valid chain; competing for the shortest is the canonical scoring.
No — classic word ladders preserve word length. Each step is a single-letter substitution, never an insertion or deletion.
Drift uses a hand-picked list of 30 four-letter start and target pairs, each with a theme shown above the ladder. Daily mode picks the pair from the number of days since January 1, 2026, counted in UTC, so everyone gets the same ladder and it changes at midnight UTC. With 30 pairs, the daily list repeats every 30 days. Random mode picks one at random.
Every pair can be connected with the game's own dictionary within the 7-step maximum. The shortest routes range from 2 steps (east to west) to 7 steps (paid to cash).
Middle words must come from a built-in list of 698 common four-letter words and differ from the rung above in exactly one letter. A valid rung turns green with the changed letter in amber; an invalid one turns red. You win when every middle rung is valid and the last one is one letter from the target. Any route counts.
The ladder starts with three empty rungs (four steps). + Add Step goes up to six empty rungs (seven steps) and Remove Step down to one. Some pairs need more than four steps, so you will have to add rungs. Your result is the steps used.
Hint works on the first incomplete rung, once the rung above it is filled. It runs a breadth-first search from that word to the target and fills in one letter of the next word on a shortest route. Hints are added to your result. If no route exists from your word, it suggests adding a step.
Type on the on-screen or physical keyboard. Enter or Tab moves to the next cell, Backspace deletes, and arrow keys move between middle rungs. Daily progress is saved in your browser for that day; random puzzles are not. Your daily solve count and streak of consecutive days are stored locally too. Share copies a grid of squares marking which letter changed on each rung, without the words.
Drift is a daily word-ladder puzzle: transform a four-letter start word into a four-letter target word by changing one letter per step, with every intermediate string required to be valid English. The format was invented by Lewis Carroll in 1877 (he called them “doublets”). Drift adds a daily shared puzzle, optional hints, and a theme that often reveals how start and target words relate.
COLD → CORD → CARD → WARD → WARM is a classic five-step ladder. Drift puzzles are curated so at least one reasonably short path exists; many pairs admit multiple routes of different lengths.
Daily serves one ladder worldwide until local midnight — ideal for comparing step counts with friends. Random pulls from the full pair library for practice. Solve Daily first if you care about streaks and shared difficulty.
Hints reveal one letter along a known short solution path. They are best for breaking symmetry when two plausible branches tie — not for opening moves. A clean solve with zero hints beats a one-hint solve for bragging rights.