Word Steps
Play Word Steps now · free, no download, no sign-up
Word Steps is a word ladder puzzle set on a mountain. You start at the bottom with one word and climb toward a goal word at the summit by changing a single letter at a time, and every step on the way must be a real word.
It is a gentle brain teaser for word lovers, students and anyone who enjoys a puzzle that can be done in a few minutes. There are 165 ladders of three, four and five letters, each with a par number of steps worked out by computer.
How to play
- Look at the start word and the goal word at the summit.
- Tap one letter of your current word, then tap a new letter on the keyboard to change it.
- Every step must make a real word, for example cat, cot, dot, dog.
- Reach the goal in the fewest steps to earn three stars; the slabs on the mountain show how many steps par is.
- UNDO takes a step back, and HINT suggests a good next word for coins and a star.
Controls
On a phone or tablet
Tap the letter you want to change, then tap a letter on the on-screen keyboard.
On a computer
Use Left and Right or Tab to choose a letter, type the new letter, and press Backspace to undo a step.
Game modes
Solo
Climb the three-, four- and five-letter packs at your own pace.
Daily
One ladder a day with a streak.
Vs computer
Race a computer climber up the same ladder in a best of three on easy, medium or hard.
Two players
A split-screen race on one device; on phones the top half faces the player opposite.
Tips
- Compare the start and goal: letters that already match can often stay put.
- Vowels are good pivots, since changing a vowel often keeps the word real.
- If you get stuck, work backwards from the goal in your head.
- Common short words make better stepping stones than rare ones.
- Use undo to test a route and step back if it leads nowhere.
About the game
Word ladders are a word puzzle with a long history, popularised in Victorian times as a parlour game. Word Steps turns the ladder into a climb, with each word a stone step up the mountain.
On phones you play by tapping, with a keyboard sized for thumbs in portrait; on desktop you can type directly. Coins unlock four mountain themes and four climbers.
Questions
- Is Word Steps free?
- Yes. It is free to play in your browser.
- How is par worked out?
- Par is the shortest ladder the computer found for each puzzle.
- Can two people play on one phone?
- Yes. The two-player mode is a split-screen race on one device.
