Ducklark Games / Stepword ladders / Ladder #1
Stepword #1: Turn COLD into WARM
On Tuesday, October 6, 2026, Stepword players were given this story line: “Turn COLD into WARM”. It was ladder #1, a climb from COLD to WARM.
#1 in numbers and letters
- Date: Tuesday, October 6, 2026
- Start word: COLD
- Goal word: WARM
- Par: 4 steps
- Word length: 4 letters
Counting the steps in ladder #1
Par here is 4, exactly the number of places in which the two words differ (4). In other words each rung of the best climb corrects one letter, and none can be spent wandering.
No letter sits in the same place in both words, so every position has to change at some point on the way. Vowels: 1 in the start word, 1 in the goal. Par can be reached by 3 different ladders in the game’s word list.
- Letter 1: C to W
- Letter 2: O to A
- Letter 3: L to R
- Letter 4: D to M
Ladder #1 against the others
Tuesday means 4-letter words. 6 of the 18 ladders so far have had a par of 4.
Can I still play #1?
Not at the moment, since #1 is older than the replay window.
Answers stay in the game.
Next to #1
- Stepword #2: Change HEAD into TAIL (Oct 7), HEAD to TAIL, par 5
Every past ladder is listed on the Stepword ladders page. The rules, par and hints are in How to play Stepword. Other daily games are on the topics page.