Stepwords
Climb a ladder of clued words, each an anagram of the last plus one new letter.
Every day: A new anagram ladder each day at midnight Eastern time (plus a shorter quick puzzle), the same for everyone, with a clue for every step. New puzzle: Midnight US Eastern time.
Stepwords is a daily anagram ladder. Every answer uses all the letters of the previous answer plus exactly one new letter, so the words grow by one letter at each step, and each step comes with a crossword-style clue.
About Stepwords
Stepwords is a browser word puzzle in which the answers form a ladder. Each answer is an anagram of the one before it with exactly one extra letter added, so a short word at the top grows a letter at a time into a long one at the bottom. The site's own example runs SOW, WOES, SWORE, POWERS, POWDERS, STEPWORD.
Every step has a crossword-style clue, so solving is part definition and part anagram. Knowing the letters you carry down from the step above narrows the options, and working back up from a long answer can unlock the short ones. A ladder marker shows where the new letter sits in each answer.
There are two puzzles every day, released at midnight Eastern time and the same for everyone: a Daily Puzzle (nine steps on the day checked) and a shorter Quick Puzzle (six steps). The puzzles shown were credited to Ben Reich. Stars track how you did, the last seven days are shown on the home screen, and older puzzles are in the archives.
The site also keeps stats, streaks and badges, and invites players to submit their own ladders. It suits crossword solvers and anagram fans who like seeing a chain of words build on itself.
The puzzles are numbered: Saturday 3 October 2026 brought Daily Puzzle number 403, a nine-step ladder whose first clue was a three-letter abbreviation.
How to play Stepwords
- Read the clue for the first, shortest step and solve it.
- For the next step, add exactly one letter and rearrange to fit the next clue.
- Keep climbing, one new letter per step, until the ladder is complete.
- Try the shorter Quick Puzzle or the archives for more.
Screenshots
Tips
- Write down the letters you are carrying: every later answer must use all of them.
- If a middle clue is stuck, solve a longer answer further down and remove a letter to work back up.
- Use the ladder marker on solved steps to see where new letters tend to land.
Questions
When is a new puzzle released?
Every day at midnight Eastern time.
What is the rule for each step?
Each answer is an anagram of the previous answer plus exactly one new letter.
Is there more than one puzzle a day?
Yes, a longer Daily Puzzle and a shorter Quick Puzzle.
Can I play old puzzles?
Yes, past puzzles are in the archives.
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