🤮 BARFle
The basics
Start from the day's four letter word and change one letter per move, keeping every intermediate step a real word, until you reach the target.
Everyone gets the same start word, so move count is directly comparable.
Why a different target plays differently
A ladder's difficulty is mostly decided by how many words sit one step from the target. A target with lots of neighbours is forgiving because many routes land. A target with few neighbours forces you through a narrow gate.
Get to know which letters in the target are the flexible ones. Those are the positions you should be changing last.
Plan the last two moves first
Because the gate near the target is the tight part, decide how you intend to arrive before you worry about how you leave the start. Working out your final two words early gives the rest of the ladder a clear destination.
A worked ladder
List the words that are one letter from the target. Usually there are only a handful, and often only one or two of them are easy to reach.
Pick the reachable one and treat it as your real goal. The puzzle instantly becomes shorter, because you have replaced an awkward destination with a friendlier one that you already know connects.
Tips worth remembering
- Solve the last two steps before the first two.
- Keep a mental note of dead ends so you do not walk back into them.
- Reset is free. A bad second move is worth undoing early.
- Compare move counts rather than time. This is a puzzle about routes, not speed.