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.
Rules in one minute
- Word length stays fixed — no adding or removing letters.
- Each step changes exactly one letter.
- Every row must be a real dictionary word.
- Reach the target in as few steps as possible; shorter ladders score better.
Example chain
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.
Strategy for shorter ladders
- Work from both ends. Sketch one step from the start and one step backward from the target; look for words that could meet in the middle.
- Change high-impact letters first. Vowels and rare consonants (J, Q, X, Z) are bottlenecks — bridge them early.
- Use the theme. Daily themes hint at semantic links (weather, colors, opposites). If the theme says “heat,” consider words related to temperature even when the letters look unrelated.
- Insert steps freely. Tap + ADD STEP to branch exploration; delete dead ends rather than forcing a single chain.
Daily vs random
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.
When to use a hint
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.