Find the clue you need
Reveal one answer or the full solution.
- 1
A broken pipe or faucet may have one
LEAK - 2
What a bird eats with
BEAK - 3
Animal whose name also means "to tolerate"
BEAR - 4
Type of wild pig
BOAR - 5
Fly high and majestically
SOAR
Top + bottom clue
The top + bottom rows = Two words for the most prominent actor in a play or film.
The complete word ladder
Read from top to bottom. Highlighted letters show what changes from the previous word.
- LEADTop endpoint
- LEAKLEAD → LEAK changes position 4 from D to K.
- BEAKLEAK → BEAK changes position 1 from L to B.
- BEARBEAK → BEAR changes position 4 from K to R.
- BOARBEAR → BOAR changes position 2 from E to O.
- SOARBOAR → SOAR changes position 1 from B to S.
- STARSOAR → STAR changes position 2 from O to T.
How the endpoints answer the clue
LEAD + STAR
The top + bottom rows = Two words for the most prominent actor in a play or film.
Clue meanings and letter changes
| Clue | Answer & meaning | Change from previous word |
|---|---|---|
| Top endpoint | LEAD LEAD is the answer to “The top + bottom rows = Two words for the most prominent actor in a play or film.” and serves as an endpoint. | Start of ladder |
| A broken pipe or faucet may have one | LEAK LEAK is the answer to “A broken pipe or faucet may have one”. | LEAD → LEAK changes position 4 from D to K. |
| What a bird eats with | BEAK BEAK is the answer to “What a bird eats with”. | LEAK → BEAK changes position 1 from L to B. |
| Animal whose name also means "to tolerate" | BEAR BEAR is the answer to “Animal whose name also means "to tolerate"”. | BEAK → BEAR changes position 4 from K to R. |
| Type of wild pig | BOAR BOAR is the answer to “Type of wild pig”. | BEAR → BOAR changes position 2 from E to O. |
| Fly high and majestically | SOAR SOAR is the answer to “Fly high and majestically”. | BOAR → SOAR changes position 1 from B to S. |
| Bottom endpoint | STAR STAR is the answer to “The top + bottom rows = Two words for the most prominent actor in a play or film.” and serves as an endpoint. | SOAR → STAR changes position 2 from O to T. |
How to work out the order
LEAD → LEAK starts the chain with a change in position 4. From there, the changed positions run 4, 1, 4, 2, 1, 2, which is a quick way to verify the order without relying on meaning alone.
- Solve the middle clues, then anchor LEAK beside LEAD because they differ at exactly one position.
- Continue through LEAK → BEAK → BEAR → BOAR → SOAR, checking spelling position by position rather than grouping words by topic.
- Place STAR at the other endpoint and use the shared endpoint clue to connect LEAD with STAR.
One takeaway
This edition rewards positional checking: its 6 legal moves change letter positions 4, 1, 4, 2, 1, 2. When the clue meanings wander, the one-letter rule keeps the ladder from wandering with them.
More CrossClimb
Nearby editions: #917 · 2026-11-03 · #915 · 2026-11-01