2026-07-07
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Puzzle guide
Full breakdown using the Strategy coach format — middle clues, ladder order, combo ends, and strategy notes.
Overview
LinkedIn Crossclimb #798 is the LinkedIn Crossclimb daily for July 7, 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: 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 BACK to FIRE:
BACK → BARK → DARK → DARE → HARE → HIRE → FIRE
Top and bottom share the combo clue: “A compound word meaning to go the opposite way as intended, as when a complex scheme works out against its planner.”
Analysis
Teaching ladder LinkedIn Crossclimb #798: students solve 5 clues before touching order. Answers: BARK, DARK, DARE, HARE, HIRE. Only then drag rungs until each neighbor differs by exactly one letter.
Middle phase answers: "Outer layer of a tree" = BARK; "Without any light" = DARK; "“Truth or ___?”" = DARE; "Animal that lost a race to a tortoise in an Aesop fable" = HARE; "Bring on to the workforce" = HIRE.
Ordering phase: the valid middle chain is BARK → DARK → DARE → HARE → HIRE. This permutation is the only valid one-letter chain for these answers.
Rule demo: BACK and BARK differ in exactly one slot — C→R at the third letter (BACK → BARK).
Rule demo: BARK and DARK differ in exactly one slot — B→D at the first letter (BARK → DARK).
Rule demo: DARK and DARE differ in exactly one slot — K→E at the fourth letter (DARK → DARE).
Rule demo: DARE and HARE differ in exactly one slot — D→H at the first letter (DARE → HARE).
Rule demo: HARE and HIRE differ in exactly one slot — A→I at the second letter (HARE → HIRE).
Rule demo: HIRE and FIRE differ in exactly one slot — H→F at the first letter (HIRE → FIRE).
Lesson complete: BACK → BARK → DARK → DARE → HARE → HIRE → FIRE. Remember — middles first, order second, combo last.
Middle clues
Outer layer of a tree
Clue insight
"Outer layer of a tree" resolves to "BARK" once you read the clue as a 4-letter crossword answer.
Solving note
Warm-up clue: Solve "Outer layer of a tree" without peeking at ladder order.
Without any light
Clue insight
"Without any light" resolves to "DARK" once you read the clue as a 4-letter crossword answer.
Solving note
Cross-check: Solve "Without any light" without peeking at ladder order.
“Truth or ___?”
Clue insight
Fill-in style clue — "DARE" completes the pattern described in "“Truth or ___?”".
Solving note
Pivot answer: Solve "“Truth or ___?”" without peeking at ladder order.
Animal that lost a race to a tortoise in an Aesop fable
Clue insight
"Animal that lost a race to a tortoise in an Aesop fable" resolves to "HARE" once you read the clue as a 4-letter crossword answer.
Solving note
Verifier: Solve "Animal that lost a race to a tortoise in an Aesop fable" without peeking at ladder order.
Bring on to the workforce
Clue insight
"Bring on to the workforce" resolves to "HIRE" once you read the clue as a 4-letter crossword answer.
Solving note
Final middle: Solve "Bring on to the workforce" without peeking at ladder order.
Ladder steps
C→R at the third letter (BACK → BARK)
Teaching link BACK→BARK: C→R at the third letter (BACK → BARK).
Rule check 1: Students should reject pairs with 2+ letter differences.
B→D at the first letter (BARK → DARK)
Teaching link BARK→DARK: B→D at the first letter (BARK → DARK).
Rule check 2: Students should reject pairs with 2+ letter differences.
K→E at the fourth letter (DARK → DARE)
Teaching link DARK→DARE: K→E at the fourth letter (DARK → DARE).
Rule check 3: Students should reject pairs with 2+ letter differences.
D→H at the first letter (DARE → HARE)
Teaching link DARE→HARE: D→H at the first letter (DARE → HARE).
Rule check 4: Students should reject pairs with 2+ letter differences.
A→I at the second letter (HARE → HIRE)
Teaching link HARE→HIRE: A→I at the second letter (HARE → HIRE).
Rule check 5: Students should reject pairs with 2+ letter differences.
H→F at the first letter (HIRE → FIRE)
Teaching link HIRE→FIRE: H→F at the first letter (HIRE → FIRE).
Rule check 6: Students should reject pairs with 2+ letter differences.
Ordering
Teach students to test pairs: BARK → DARK → DARE → HARE → HIRE works because BACK→BARK, BARK→DARK, DARK→DARE, DARE→HARE, HARE→HIRE, HIRE→FIRE each differ by one letter only.
Combo
Endgame: combo clue "A compound word meaning to go the opposite way as intended, as when a complex scheme works out against its planner." describes both BACK and FIRE. Unlock only after ladder ordering passes every one-letter check.
The combo clue "A compound word meaning to go the opposite way as intended, as when a complex scheme works out against its planner." describes both end words together — "BACK" and "FIRE" 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 BARK, DARK, DARE, HARE, HIRE. Middle 1: "Outer layer of a tree" → BARK. "Outer layer of a tree" resolves to "BARK" once you read the clue as a 4-letter crossword answer. Middle 2: "Without any light" → DARK. "Without any light" resolves to "DARK" once you read the clue as a 4-letter crossword answer. Middle 3: "“Truth or ___?”" → DARE. Fill-in style clue — "DARE" completes the pattern described in "“Truth or ___?”". Middle 4: "Animal that lost a race to a tortoise in an Aesop fable" → HARE. "Animal that lost a race to a tortoise in an Aesop fable" resolves to "HARE" once you read the clue as a 4-letter crossword answer. Middle 5: "Bring on to the workforce" → HIRE. "Bring on to the workforce" resolves to "HIRE" 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: BARK → DARK → DARE → HARE → HIRE. Ladder step: C→R at the third letter (BACK → BARK) (connects to a combo end). Ladder step: B→D at the first letter (BARK → DARK). Ladder step: K→E at the fourth letter (DARK → DARE). Ladder step: D→H at the first letter (DARE → HARE). Ladder step: A→I at the second letter (HARE → HIRE). Ladder step: H→F at the first letter (HIRE → FIRE) (connects to a combo end). Phase 3: Unlock combo ends — top "BACK" and bottom "FIRE" share the clue: A compound word meaning to go the opposite way as intended, as when a complex scheme works out against its planner..
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
Clues → order → combo. Never reorder until all middles are filled.
Walk BACK → BARK → DARK → DARE → HARE → HIRE → FIRE and confirm each arrow changes one letter: C→R at the third letter (BACK → BARK); B→D at the first letter (BARK → DARK); K→E at the fourth letter (DARK → DARE)…
"A compound word meaning to go the opposite way as intended, as when a complex scheme works out against its planner." describes BACK and FIRE together — not either middle rung.
Solution
This Crossclimb is a 4-letter word ladder from BACK to FIRE. The top and bottom rows share one combo clue: A compound word meaning to go the opposite way as intended, as when a complex scheme works out against its planner. The solution path is BACK → BARK → DARK → DARE → HARE → HIRE → FIRE, changing exactly one letter between each rung. Middle clues include Outer layer of a tree, Without any light, and “Truth or ___?”, and others — solve these before reordering. Correct middle order: BARK → DARK → DARE → HARE → HIRE. The combo clue "A compound word meaning to go the opposite way as intended, as when a complex scheme works out against its planner." describes both end words together — "BACK" and "FIRE" 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.