CraftWord
Turn the start word into the goal word in as few steps as you can.
Every day: Three new start-and-goal word pairs each day, the same for every player, scored against the shortest known path; past days are in an archive. New puzzle: Midnight in your local time zone.
CraftWord is a daily word ladder with more freedom than most. Each step you may add, remove or change one letter, or rearrange the letters, as long as the result is a real word. There are three rounds a day, and your path is compared with the shortest one possible.
About CraftWord
CraftWord is a word ladder puzzle by Luke White, played in the browser at craftword.game or in a free iPhone app. You get a start word and a goal word, and you have to turn one into the other through a chain of real words. Unlike a classic ladder, a single step can add a letter, remove a letter, swap a letter or rearrange the whole word, so the length of the word can change along the way.
The daily challenge has three rounds, the same for every player, and they grow from short words to longer ones. On the day we checked, the rounds went from spa to snag, loots to yours and twined to seen. The game knows the shortest path for each pair and compares your route with it at the end of the round, showing both chains side by side. Hints are there if you get stuck, and finished days go into an archive you can go back to.
The freedom to anagram is what makes it different: a word can jump to a completely different spelling in one move, so the shortest route is often not the obvious one. Matching or beating the game's own solution earns a trophy, and the app also has an Infinite mode with generated puzzles and a Zen mode for play without pressure. It suits people who like Weaver or other ladders but want more ways to move.
How to play CraftWord
- Open CraftWord and start the Daily Challenge to see the first start word and goal word.
- Make a new word from the current one by adding, removing or changing one letter, or by rearranging its letters.
- Every step has to be a real word; keep going until you reach the goal word.
- At the end of each round, compare your path with the shortest one the game knows.
- Play all three rounds, then share your result or look back at past days in the archive.
Screenshots
Tips
- Look for an anagram early: rearranging can change several positions in one move.
- Adding or dropping a letter is often the quickest way to bridge words of different lengths.
- Work backwards from the goal word in your head to see which neighbours it has.
- Save hints for the third round, which uses the longest words.
Questions
How many puzzles are there each day?
Three rounds, the same for every player.
What moves are allowed?
Add a letter, remove a letter, change a letter or rearrange the letters, as long as the result is a valid word.
Is there an app?
Yes, CraftWord is a free app on the iPhone App Store, and the same puzzles can be played on the website.
Can I play earlier days?
Yes, past daily puzzles are kept in an archive.
How is my score judged?
Your path is compared with the shortest path the game found. Matching or beating it earns a trophy.
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