Ducklark Games / Stepword ladders / Ladder #3
Stepword #3: CHOP the MEAT
“CHOP the MEAT” was Stepword’s story for Oct 8, 2026. The ladder, number 3, begins with CHOP and ends with MEAT, and the fewest steps between them is 5.
#3 in numbers and letters
- Date: Thursday, October 8, 2026
- Start word: CHOP
- Goal word: MEAT
- Par: 5 steps
- Word length: 4 letters
CHOP to MEAT: what par 5 asks
CHOP and MEAT differ in all 4 places, yet par is 5, one more than that count. A perfect climb has to include one step that does not fix a letter straight away: a side step that opens up a word that was out of reach.
No letter sits in the same place in both words, so every position has to change at some point on the way. CHOP has 1 vowel and MEAT has 2 vowels. Only one par ladder exists in the game’s word list, so there is a single perfect route.
- Letter 1: C to M
- Letter 2: H to E
- Letter 3: O to A
- Letter 4: P to T
Thursday’s ladder #3 in context
It was a weekday ladder, so the words have four letters. 8 of the 18 ladders so far have had a par of 5.
How to play day #3
Older days wait outside the replay window, and #3 is one of them. Today’s ladder is always there.
No answer ladder is shown on these pages.
Next to #3
- Stepword #2: Change HEAD into TAIL (Oct 7), HEAD to TAIL, par 5
- Stepword #4: Jump in a LEAF PILE (Oct 9), LEAF to PILE, par 6
Every past ladder is listed on the Stepword ladders page. The rules, par and hints are in How to play Stepword. For trivia and mini crosswords, see the topics hub.