About Nudge

A free word puzzle you can finish in a couple of minutes, with a new one every day.

What it is

Nudge is a daily word ladder. You get a starting word and a target word, and you change one letter at a time, making a real word at every step, until you reach the target. The shortest route is the "best route", and the goal is to match it.

It's a take on a classic puzzle that Lewis Carroll invented in the 1870s. There's nothing to download and no account to make. Open the page, play today's puzzle, and come back tomorrow.

How the puzzles are made

Every puzzle is checked by a computer before it's scheduled, to make sure a route really exists and that the best route is made of everyday words. Rare words, offensive words and proper names are left out of the word list entirely. A puzzle is never repeated, and the same words are never reused.

Difficulty follows the week: shorter routes early in the week, trickier ones toward the weekend.

New to word ladders?

Read the how to play guide for the rules, scoring, a worked example and strategy tips.

Your privacy

Nudge doesn't ask for your name or email. It stores a random anonymous ID in your browser so it can remember your moves and your streak. Read the privacy policy for the details, including how advertising works on the site.

Contact

Questions, feedback or a word we should add or remove? Email nudgeword@gmail.com.