2026-01-09
Puzzle guide
Full breakdown using the Pattern lab format — middle clues, ladder order, combo ends, and strategy notes.
Overview
Crossclimb Level 9 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 COLD to WORK:
COLD → CORD → WORD → WARD → WARM → WORM → WORK
Top and bottom share the combo clue: “Labor in the winter air”
Analysis
Classification target Crossclimb Level 9. Ladder width: 4. Middle samples: CORD, WORD, WARD, WARM, WORM. Combo label: "Labor in the winter air". Full chain: COLD → CORD → WORD → WARD → WARM → WORM → WORK.
Middle phase answers: "Thick string" = CORD; "Unit of language" = WORD; "Hospital section" = WARD; "Not chilly" = WARM; "Garden pest" = WORM.
Ordering phase: the valid middle chain is CORD → WORD → WARD → WARM → WORM. This permutation is the only valid one-letter chain for these answers.
Transition 1: L→R at the third letter (COLD → CORD).
Transition 2: C→W at the first letter (CORD → WORD).
Transition 3: O→A at the second letter (WORD → WARD).
Transition 4: D→M at the fourth letter (WARD → WARM).
Transition 5: A→O at the second letter (WARM → WORM).
Transition 6: M→K at the fourth letter (WORM → WORK).
Ladder result: COLD → CORD → WORD → WARD → WARM → WORM → WORK. Classification: unique middle order.
Middle clues
Thick string
Clue insight
Sample 1: Thick string = CORD
Solving note
A plausible wrong answer often differs in length or cannot one-letter-link to other middles — verify before reordering.
Unit of language
Clue insight
Sample 2: Unit of language = WORD
Solving note
A plausible wrong answer often differs in length or cannot one-letter-link to other middles — verify before reordering.
Hospital section
Clue insight
Sample 3: Hospital section = WARD
Solving note
A plausible wrong answer often differs in length or cannot one-letter-link to other middles — verify before reordering.
Not chilly
Clue insight
Sample 4: Not chilly = WARM
Solving note
A plausible wrong answer often differs in length or cannot one-letter-link to other middles — verify before reordering.
Garden pest
Clue insight
Sample 5: Garden pest = WORM
Solving note
A plausible wrong answer often differs in length or cannot one-letter-link to other middles — verify before reordering.
Ladder steps
L→R at the third letter (COLD → CORD)
Transition 1 L→R at the third letter (COLD → CORD)
Combo boundary transition.
C→W at the first letter (CORD → WORD)
Transition 2 C→W at the first letter (CORD → WORD)
Interior ladder transition.
O→A at the second letter (WORD → WARD)
Transition 3 O→A at the second letter (WORD → WARD)
Interior ladder transition.
D→M at the fourth letter (WARD → WARM)
Transition 4 D→M at the fourth letter (WARD → WARM)
Interior ladder transition.
A→O at the second letter (WARM → WORM)
Transition 5 A→O at the second letter (WARM → WORM)
Interior ladder transition.
M→K at the fourth letter (WORM → WORK)
Transition 6 M→K at the fourth letter (WORM → WORK)
Combo boundary transition.
Ordering
Optimal order: CORD → WORD → WARD → WARM → WORM. 1 valid permutation(s) from 5 middles. Unique ordering.
Combo
Combo classification: "Labor in the winter air" → endpoints COLD, WORK.
The combo clue "Labor in the winter air" describes both end words together — "COLD" 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 CORD, WORD, WARD, WARM, WORM. Middle 1: "Thick string" → CORD. "Thick string" resolves to "CORD" once you read the clue as a 4-letter crossword answer. Middle 2: "Unit of language" → WORD. "Unit of language" resolves to "WORD" once you read the clue as a 4-letter crossword answer. Middle 3: "Hospital section" → WARD. "Hospital section" resolves to "WARD" once you read the clue as a 4-letter crossword answer. Middle 4: "Not chilly" → WARM. "Not chilly" resolves to "WARM" once you read the clue as a 4-letter crossword answer. Middle 5: "Garden pest" → WORM. "Garden pest" resolves to "WORM" 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: CORD → WORD → WARD → WARM → WORM. Ladder step: L→R at the third letter (COLD → CORD) (connects to a combo end). Ladder step: C→W at the first letter (CORD → WORD). Ladder step: O→A at the second letter (WORD → WARD). Ladder step: D→M at the fourth letter (WARD → WARM). Ladder step: A→O at the second letter (WARM → WORM). Ladder step: M→K at the fourth letter (WORM → WORK) (connects to a combo end). Phase 3: Unlock combo ends — top "COLD" and bottom "WORK" share the clue: Labor in the winter air.
Pattern
Only one middle permutation forms a valid ladder from top to bottom — if ordering feels stuck, recheck a middle answer.
Learn more in Crossclimb Puzzle Strategies →Takeaways
5 answers: CORD, WORD, WARD, WARM, WORM. Each from its own crossword clue.
Ordered: CORD → WORD → WARD → WARM → WORM. 6 one-letter transitions.
Only one middle permutation forms a valid ladder from top to bottom — if ordering feels stuck, recheck a middle answer.
Solution
This Crossclimb is a 4-letter word ladder from COLD to WORK. The top and bottom rows share one combo clue: Labor in the winter air. The solution path is COLD → CORD → WORD → WARD → WARM → WORM → WORK, changing exactly one letter between each rung. Middle clues include Thick string, Unit of language, and Hospital section, and others — solve these before reordering. Correct middle order: CORD → WORD → WARD → WARM → WORM. The combo clue "Labor in the winter air" describes both end words together — "COLD" and "WORK" each differ by one letter from their adjacent middle rungs and satisfy the shared top+bottom prompt. Only one middle permutation forms a valid ladder from top to bottom — if ordering feels stuck, recheck a middle answer. 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.