LinkedIn Crossclimb #789

LinkedIn Crossclimb #789 is the LinkedIn Crossclimb daily for June 28, 2026. 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: Hard. Estimated solve time: 6–10 min. Read the explainer sections below for strategy, or jump straight into play.

The complete word ladder from NAVY to BEAN:

NAVY → WAVY → WARY → WARN → BARN → BERN → BEAN

Top and bottom share the combo clue: “A two-word phrase for a legume named for a military branch.”

1. Middle 1Sample 1

   WAVY

   Having an undulating pattern, like a sine curve

   Clue insight

   Sample 1: Having an undulating pattern, like a sine curve = WAVY

   Solving note

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

2. Middle 2Sample 2

   WARY

   On guard against danger

   Clue insight

   Sample 2: On guard against danger = WARY

   Solving note

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

3. Middle 3Sample 3

   WARN

   Give a heads-up

   Clue insight

   Sample 3: Give a heads-up = WARN

   Solving note

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

4. Middle 4Sample 4

   BARN

   Place where pitchforks are kept

   Clue insight

   Sample 4: Place where pitchforks are kept = BARN

   Solving note

   Synonyms that are not exactly 4 letters are traps — Crossclimb middles must match the ladder width.

5. Middle 5Sample 5

   BERN

   Switzerland's de facto capital

   Clue insight

   Sample 5: Switzerland's de facto capital = BERN

   Solving note

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

1. NAVY → WAVYStep 1

   N→W at the first letter (NAVY → WAVY)

   Transition 1 N→W at the first letter (NAVY → WAVY)

   Combo boundary transition.

2. WAVY → WARYStep 2

   V→R at the third letter (WAVY → WARY)

   Transition 2 V→R at the third letter (WAVY → WARY)

   Interior ladder transition.

3. WARY → WARNStep 3

   Y→N at the fourth letter (WARY → WARN)

   Transition 3 Y→N at the fourth letter (WARY → WARN)

   Interior ladder transition.

4. WARN → BARNStep 4

   W→B at the first letter (WARN → BARN)

   Transition 4 W→B at the first letter (WARN → BARN)

   Interior ladder transition.

5. BARN → BERNStep 5

   A→E at the second letter (BARN → BERN)

   Transition 5 A→E at the second letter (BARN → BERN)

   Interior ladder transition.

6. BERN → BEANStep 6

   R→A at the third letter (BERN → BEAN)

   Transition 6 R→A at the third letter (BERN → BEAN)

   Combo boundary transition.

Optimal order: WAVY → WARY → WARN → BARN → BERN. 1 valid permutation(s) from 5 middles. Unique ordering.

Combo classification: "A two-word phrase for a legume named for a military branch." → endpoints NAVY, BEAN.

The combo clue "A two-word phrase for a legume named for a military branch." describes both end words together — "NAVY" and "BEAN" 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 WAVY, WARY, WARN, BARN, BERN. Middle 1: "Having an undulating pattern, like a sine curve" → WAVY. "Having an undulating pattern, like a sine curve" resolves to "WAVY" once you read the clue as a 4-letter crossword answer. Middle 2: "On guard against danger" → WARY. "On guard against danger" resolves to "WARY" once you read the clue as a 4-letter crossword answer. Middle 3: "Give a heads-up" → WARN. "Give a heads-up" resolves to "WARN" once you read the clue as a 4-letter crossword answer. Middle 4: "Place where pitchforks are kept" → BARN. The clue "Place where pitchforks are kept" describes an action or use case that maps cleanly to the verb "BARN". Middle 5: "Switzerland's de facto capital" → BERN. "Switzerland's de facto capital" resolves to "BERN" 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: WAVY → WARY → WARN → BARN → BERN. Ladder step: N→W at the first letter (NAVY → WAVY) (connects to a combo end). Ladder step: V→R at the third letter (WAVY → WARY). Ladder step: Y→N at the fourth letter (WARY → WARN). Ladder step: W→B at the first letter (WARN → BARN). Ladder step: A→E at the second letter (BARN → BERN). Ladder step: R→A at the third letter (BERN → BEAN) (connects to a combo end). Phase 3: Unlock combo ends — top "NAVY" and bottom "BEAN" share the clue: A two-word phrase for a legume named for a military branch..

Only one middle permutation forms a valid ladder from top to bottom — if ordering feels stuck, recheck a middle answer.

This Crossclimb is a 4-letter word ladder from NAVY to BEAN. The top and bottom rows share one combo clue: A two-word phrase for a legume named for a military branch. The solution path is NAVY → WAVY → WARY → WARN → BARN → BERN → BEAN, changing exactly one letter between each rung. Middle clues include Having an undulating pattern, like a sine curve, On guard against danger, and Give a heads-up, and others — solve these before reordering. Correct middle order: WAVY → WARY → WARN → BARN → BERN. The combo clue "A two-word phrase for a legume named for a military branch." describes both end words together — "NAVY" and "BEAN" 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.