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Rungshift: Word Ladder

Rungshift is a calm five-letter word ladder: start from one familiar word, change exactly one letter per legal rung, and reach the target without repeating a word. Play one deterministic Daily Climb or practice in Free Climb, undo dead ends freely, use an optional letter-position Nudge or explicit Reveal rung, resume bounded local progress, and compare your final move count with independently computed shortest-path par only after you finish.

How to play

Transform the five-letter START word into the five-letter TARGET word one rung at a time. Every submitted rung must change exactly one letter, exist in Rungshift's pinned word graph, and not repeat a word already in your route. Reaching TARGET finishes immediately. Daily Climb gives the scheduled puzzle for the date; Free Climb selects another approved ladder. Par, the exact shortest path on the same graph, is revealed after you finish.

Controls

KeyboardMouseTouch

Tips for this game

Use Undo when a promising branch stops connecting toward the target; repeated words are not allowed in the current route.
Nudge tells you which letter position changes on one shortest-path next rung without revealing the letter. Reveal rung shows that next word, but you still submit it yourself.
A shorter route is the optimization goal, but Par stays hidden until completion so the unsolved ladder is not spoiled.

Common questions

Can I change two letters in one step?

No. Each legal rung must differ from the current word at exactly one character position.

Does any English dictionary word count?

No. A rung must exist in Rungshift's pinned compiler-approved five-letter graph, which keeps the runtime and Par calculation on the same vocabulary.

When can I see Par?

Par is hidden during an unsolved run and revealed after completion. It is the exact shortest-path distance on the same pinned graph.

Is there a required speed timer?

No. Rungshift's primary result is your route and Moves versus Par, not a mandatory countdown.

Learn the mechanic

How to Reason Through a Rungshift Word Ladder uses worked examples and reviewed current rules for this game.