Ducklark Games / Stepword ladders / Ladder #11
Stepword #11: MEND a SHOE
Stepword’s Friday ladder, #11, told the story “MEND a SHOE” and asked for a climb of 5 steps. The start word was MEND, the goal SHOE, and the date was Oct 16.
#11 in numbers and letters
- Date: Friday, October 16, 2026
- Start word: MEND
- Goal word: SHOE
- Par: 5 steps
- Word length: 4 letters
The 5-step climb from MEND to SHOE
You might think 4 steps would do, since that is how many places differ between MEND and SHOE. Par is 5, so the best climb spends one rung on a side step.
Nothing lines up between MEND and SHOE: not one letter is in the same place in both, so each position must change on the way. E appears in both words, though not in the same place. Vowels: 1 in the start word, 2 in the goal. The game’s list has exactly one way to climb in par.
- Letter 1: M to S
- Letter 2: E to H
- Letter 3: N to O
- Letter 4: D to E
Where #11 sits among the ladders
8 of the 18 ladders so far have had a par of 5. As a Friday ladder it used 4-letter words.
How to play day #11
Ladder #11 is outside the seven days that Stepword keeps open for replay. Today’s ladder, and the recent days on the calendar, are open.
The answer ladder is not printed here.
Yesterday and tomorrow of #11
- Stepword #10: Hear HAIL on the ROOF (Oct 15), HAIL to ROOF, par 6
- Stepword #12: Heat a SNACK on the STOVE (Oct 17), STOVE to SNACK, par 5
More days: all Stepword ladders. New here? Start with the guide. Quizzes and crosswords live on the topics hub.