Crossclimb Level 20

Crossclimb Level 20 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: Medium. Estimated solve time: 4–6 min. Read the explainer sections below for strategy, or jump straight into play.

The complete word ladder from NEST to BOLT:

NEST → BEST → BEET → BELT → BEAT → BOAT → BOLT

Top and bottom share the combo clue: “Fastener found in a bird's home”

1. Middle 1Clue 1

   BEST

   Opinion when something is great

   Clue insight

   "Opinion when something is great" resolves to "BEST" once you read the clue as a 4-letter crossword answer.

   Solving note

   Clue 1: A plausible wrong answer often differs in length or cannot one-letter-link to other middles — verify before reordering.

2. Middle 2Clue 2

   BEET

   Red root vegetable

   Clue insight

   "Red root vegetable" resolves to "BEET" once you read the clue as a 4-letter crossword answer.

   Solving note

   Clue 2: A plausible wrong answer often differs in length or cannot one-letter-link to other middles — verify before reordering.

3. Middle 3Clue 3

   BELT

   Waist accessory

   Clue insight

   "Waist accessory" resolves to "BELT" once you read the clue as a 4-letter crossword answer.

   Solving note

   Clue 3: A plausible wrong answer often differs in length or cannot one-letter-link to other middles — verify before reordering.

4. Middle 4Clue 4

   BEAT

   Defeat in a race

   Clue insight

   "Defeat in a race" resolves to "BEAT" once you read the clue as a 4-letter crossword answer.

   Solving note

   Clue 4: A plausible wrong answer often differs in length or cannot one-letter-link to other middles — verify before reordering.

5. Middle 5Clue 5

   BOAT

   Floating vessel

   Clue insight

   "Floating vessel" resolves to "BOAT" once you read the clue as a 4-letter crossword answer.

   Solving note

   Clue 5: A plausible wrong answer often differs in length or cannot one-letter-link to other middles — verify before reordering.

1. NEST → BESTStep 1

   N→B at the first letter (NEST → BEST)

   NEST and BEST are adjacent in the solved ladder — N→B at the first letter (NEST → BEST).

   Step 1: Valid only if exactly one letter differs; this step touches a combo end.

2. BEST → BEETStep 2

   S→E at the third letter (BEST → BEET)

   BEST and BEET are adjacent in the solved ladder — S→E at the third letter (BEST → BEET).

   Step 2: Valid only if exactly one letter differs; middle-to-middle link.

3. BEET → BELTStep 3

   E→L at the third letter (BEET → BELT)

   BEET and BELT are adjacent in the solved ladder — E→L at the third letter (BEET → BELT).

   Step 3: Valid only if exactly one letter differs; middle-to-middle link.

4. BELT → BEATStep 4

   L→A at the third letter (BELT → BEAT)

   BELT and BEAT are adjacent in the solved ladder — L→A at the third letter (BELT → BEAT).

   Step 4: Valid only if exactly one letter differs; middle-to-middle link.

5. BEAT → BOATStep 5

   E→O at the second letter (BEAT → BOAT)

   BEAT and BOAT are adjacent in the solved ladder — E→O at the second letter (BEAT → BOAT).

   Step 5: Valid only if exactly one letter differs; middle-to-middle link.

6. BOAT → BOLTStep 6

   A→L at the third letter (BOAT → BOLT)

   BOAT and BOLT are adjacent in the solved ladder — A→L at the third letter (BOAT → BOLT).

   Step 6: Valid only if exactly one letter differs; this step touches a combo end.

After solving middles (BEST, BEET, BELT, BEAT, BOAT), only the order BEST → BEET → BELT → BEAT → BOAT satisfies the one-letter rule between every adjacent pair. Each step changes exactly one letter: N→B at the first letter (NEST → BEST); S→E at the third letter (BEST → BEET); E→L at the third letter (BEET → BELT); L→A at the third letter (BELT → BEAT); E→O at the second letter (BEAT → BOAT); A→L at the third letter (BOAT → BOLT). Wrong permutations fail when two middles differ by two or more letters.

The combo clue "Fastener found in a bird's home" describes both end words together — "NEST" and "BOLT" each differ by one letter from their adjacent middle rungs and satisfy the shared top+bottom prompt. Top "NEST" connects to BEST via N→B at the first letter (NEST → BEST). Bottom "BOLT" connects from BOAT via A→L at the third letter (BOAT → BOLT).

The combo clue "Fastener found in a bird's home" describes both end words together — "NEST" and "BOLT" each differ by one letter from their adjacent middle rungs and satisfy the shared top+bottom prompt.

Phase 1: Solve the 5 middle crossword clues to unlock BEST, BEET, BELT, BEAT, BOAT. Middle 1: "Opinion when something is great" → BEST. "Opinion when something is great" resolves to "BEST" once you read the clue as a 4-letter crossword answer. Middle 2: "Red root vegetable" → BEET. "Red root vegetable" resolves to "BEET" once you read the clue as a 4-letter crossword answer. Middle 3: "Waist accessory" → BELT. "Waist accessory" resolves to "BELT" once you read the clue as a 4-letter crossword answer. Middle 4: "Defeat in a race" → BEAT. "Defeat in a race" resolves to "BEAT" once you read the clue as a 4-letter crossword answer. Middle 5: "Floating vessel" → BOAT. "Floating vessel" resolves to "BOAT" 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: BEST → BEET → BELT → BEAT → BOAT. Ladder step: N→B at the first letter (NEST → BEST) (connects to a combo end). Ladder step: S→E at the third letter (BEST → BEET). Ladder step: E→L at the third letter (BEET → BELT). Ladder step: L→A at the third letter (BELT → BEAT). Ladder step: E→O at the second letter (BEAT → BOAT). Ladder step: A→L at the third letter (BOAT → BOLT) (connects to a combo end). Phase 3: Unlock combo ends — top "NEST" and bottom "BOLT" share the clue: Fastener found in a bird's home.

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.

This Crossclimb is a 4-letter word ladder from NEST to BOLT. The top and bottom rows share one combo clue: Fastener found in a bird's home. The solution path is NEST → BEST → BEET → BELT → BEAT → BOAT → BOLT, changing exactly one letter between each rung. Middle clues include Opinion when something is great, Red root vegetable, and Waist accessory, and others — solve these before reordering. Correct middle order: BEST → BEET → BELT → BEAT → BOAT. The combo clue "Fastener found in a bird's home" describes both end words together — "NEST" and "BOLT" 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.