Turn the word at the top into the word at the bottom by changing one letter at a time. Every step along the way has to be a real word.
Turning WARM into COLD, for instance, takes four moves — and each of the four letters moves exactly once:
Par is the shortest route between the two words — the fewest moves anyone could possibly take. Matching it is the whole game. Beating it isn't possible.
Tap the wordmark at the top of the board. You'll find show par, filter letters (which greys out letters that can't make a word), perfect 4s only (par-4 puzzles where all four letters have to change), and par 7+ only for longer ladders. Your choices are remembered on your device.
Yes. No.
iOS app coming soon. It has a daily puzzle with a streak, four difficulties, lifetime statistics and a spoiler-free share grid.
Not really. I originally made this on the web, and that version is right here.
But the app is much nicer. The browser build looks for a puzzle by guessing a pair of words and checking whether it fits your settings, so a narrow setting — par 7+, or perfect 4s — can leave it saying "thinking…" for a few tries. The app builds the whole word graph up front and never has to guess, so there's no wait and no spinner.
The word list is four-letter everyday English, hand-checked, with proper nouns left out. If something reads wrong to you, say so — that's the kind of report that actually improves it.
Questions, bugs, or a word you'd argue about: email squares@nickpyati.com. A note about your device helps.