2026-01-01
Puzzle guide
Full breakdown using the Solver walkthrough format — middle clues, ladder order, combo ends, and strategy notes.
Overview
Crossclimb Level 1 is part of our exclusive Crossclimb level track. Crossclimb is LinkedIn's word-ladder game: solve 5 middle crossword clues, order the rungs so adjacent words differ by one letter, then unlock the top and bottom combo words. This page includes the live board, a solved-board view, and a step-by-step Solution walkthrough. Difficulty: Easy. Estimated solve time: 3–5 min. Read the explainer sections below for strategy, or jump straight into play.
Answer
The complete word ladder from WARM to WORK:
WARM → WORM → WORD → WARD → WARN → WORN → WORK
Top and bottom share the combo clue: “A hot day on the job”
Analysis
I tackle Crossclimb Level 1 in three passes — middles first, ordering second, combo ends last. This 4-letter board runs WARM → … → WORK with combo clue "A hot day on the job".
Middle phase: I work clues in board order — "Bug in the garden" → WORM; "Unit of a sentence" → WORD; "Part of a hospital" → WARD; "Give a caution" → WARN; "Second form of WEAR" → WORN.
Ordering phase: the valid middle chain is WORM → WORD → WARD → WARN → WORN. Note: reverse order also steps one letter at a time, but only this orientation matches the stored top and bottom slots.
I verify WARM to WORM — A→O at the second letter (WARM → WORM).
I verify WORM to WORD — M→D at the fourth letter (WORM → WORD).
I verify WORD to WARD — O→A at the second letter (WORD → WARD).
I verify WARD to WARN — D→N at the fourth letter (WARD → WARN).
I verify WARN to WORN — A→O at the second letter (WARN → WORN).
I verify WORN to WORK — N→K at the fourth letter (WORN → WORK).
Finished chain: WARM → WORM → WORD → WARD → WARN → WORN → WORK. Combo ends WARM + WORK clicked once ordering locked. The middle chain works in forward or reverse order — both orientations step one letter at a time, but only one matches the stored top and bottom slots.
Middle clues
Bug in the garden
Clue insight
I read "Bug in the garden" and write WORM. "Bug in the garden" resolves to "WORM" once you read the clue as a 4-letter crossword answer.
Solving note
First middle: Lock this before reordering middles.
Unit of a sentence
Clue insight
I read "Unit of a sentence" and write WORD. "Unit of a sentence" resolves to "WORD" once you read the clue as a 4-letter crossword answer.
Solving note
Second middle: Lock this before reordering middles.
Part of a hospital
Clue insight
I read "Part of a hospital" and write WARD. "Part of a hospital" resolves to "WARD" once you read the clue as a 4-letter crossword answer.
Solving note
Third middle: Lock this before reordering middles.
Give a caution
Clue insight
I read "Give a caution" and write WARN. "Give a caution" resolves to "WARN" once you read the clue as a 4-letter crossword answer.
Solving note
Fourth middle: Lock this before reordering middles.
Second form of WEAR
Clue insight
I read "Second form of WEAR" and write WORN. "Second form of WEAR" resolves to "WORN" once you read the clue as a 4-letter crossword answer.
Solving note
Fifth middle: Lock this before reordering middles.
Ladder steps
A→O at the second letter (WARM → WORM)
I check WARM → WORM: A→O at the second letter (WARM → WORM).
First link: Vowel swap — keep the chain tight.
M→D at the fourth letter (WORM → WORD)
I check WORM → WORD: M→D at the fourth letter (WORM → WORD).
Second link: Consonant swap — keep the chain tight.
O→A at the second letter (WORD → WARD)
I check WORD → WARD: O→A at the second letter (WORD → WARD).
Third link: Vowel swap — keep the chain tight.
D→N at the fourth letter (WARD → WARN)
I check WARD → WARN: D→N at the fourth letter (WARD → WARN).
Fourth link: Consonant swap — keep the chain tight.
A→O at the second letter (WARN → WORN)
I check WARN → WORN: A→O at the second letter (WARN → WORN).
Fifth link: Vowel swap — keep the chain tight.
N→K at the fourth letter (WORN → WORK)
I check WORN → WORK: N→K at the fourth letter (WORN → WORK).
Sixth link: Consonant swap — keep the chain tight.
Ordering
I arrange middles as WORM → WORD → WARD → WARN → WORN because that's the chain where every hop changes one letter. 6 links checked — A→O at the second letter (WARM → WORM) through N→K at the fourth letter (WORN → WORK).
Combo
Combo clue "A hot day on the job" — I only fill WARM and WORK after middles order cleanly. The pair should read naturally against the clue.
The combo clue "A hot day on the job" describes both end words together — "WARM" and "WORK" each differ by one letter from their adjacent middle rungs and satisfy the shared top+bottom prompt.
Solve path
Phase 1: Solve the 5 middle crossword clues to unlock WORM, WORD, WARD, WARN, WORN. Middle 1: "Bug in the garden" → WORM. "Bug in the garden" resolves to "WORM" once you read the clue as a 4-letter crossword answer. Middle 2: "Unit of a sentence" → WORD. "Unit of a sentence" resolves to "WORD" once you read the clue as a 4-letter crossword answer. Middle 3: "Part of a hospital" → WARD. "Part of a hospital" resolves to "WARD" once you read the clue as a 4-letter crossword answer. Middle 4: "Give a caution" → WARN. "Give a caution" resolves to "WARN" once you read the clue as a 4-letter crossword answer. Middle 5: "Second form of WEAR" → WORN. "Second form of WEAR" resolves to "WORN" once you read the clue as a 4-letter crossword answer. Phase 2: Order the middle rungs so adjacent words differ by one letter — valid chain: WORM → WORD → WARD → WARN → WORN. Ladder step: A→O at the second letter (WARM → WORM) (connects to a combo end). Ladder step: M→D at the fourth letter (WORM → WORD). Ladder step: O→A at the second letter (WORD → WARD). Ladder step: D→N at the fourth letter (WARD → WARN). Ladder step: A→O at the second letter (WARN → WORN). Ladder step: N→K at the fourth letter (WORN → WORK) (connects to a combo end). Phase 3: Unlock combo ends — top "WARM" and bottom "WORK" share the clue: A hot day on the job.
Pattern
The middle chain works in forward or reverse order — both orientations step one letter at a time, but only one matches the stored top and bottom slots.
Learn more in Crossclimb Puzzle Strategies →Takeaways
Middle clues were the slow part; ordering WORM → WORD → WARD → WARN → WORN was fast once I traced letter changes.
Compare every middle pair — if two answers differ by two letters (like WORM vs WORD), they cannot be neighbors.
Try Crossclimb Level 1 again using one hint max on middles — combo ends should feel obvious after ordering.
Solution
This Crossclimb is a 4-letter word ladder from WARM to WORK. The top and bottom rows share one combo clue: A hot day on the job. The solution path is WARM → WORM → WORD → WARD → WARN → WORN → WORK, changing exactly one letter between each rung. Middle clues include Bug in the garden, Unit of a sentence, and Part of a hospital, and others — solve these before reordering. Correct middle order: WORM → WORD → WARD → WARN → WORN. The combo clue "A hot day on the job" describes both end words together — "WARM" and "WORK" each differ by one letter from their adjacent middle rungs and satisfy the shared top+bottom prompt. The middle chain works in forward or reverse order — both orientations step one letter at a time, but only one matches the stored top and bottom slots. Use the Solution tab above for a three-phase walkthrough (middles → order → combo ends), or the Solved board tab for the complete ladder at a glance.