LinkedIn Crossclimb #802

LinkedIn Crossclimb #802 is the LinkedIn Crossclimb daily for July 11, 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 TURN to COAT:

TURN → TORN → CORN → CORD → COLD → COLT → COAT

Top and bottom share the combo clue: “A compound word for someone who can't be trusted.”

1. Middle 1Exhibit A

   TORN

   Ripped

   Clue insight

   Exhibit A — "Ripped" → TORN. "Ripped" resolves to "TORN" once you read the clue as a 4-letter crossword answer.

   Solving note

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

2. Middle 2Exhibit B

   CORN

   Vegetable basis of the Mexican snack elote

   Clue insight

   Exhibit B — "Vegetable basis of the Mexican snack elote" → CORN. "Vegetable basis of the Mexican snack elote" resolves to "CORN" once you read the clue as a 4-letter crossword answer.

   Solving note

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

3. Middle 3Exhibit C

   CORD

   Thin rope that may be used in bungee jumping

   Clue insight

   Exhibit C — "Thin rope that may be used in bungee jumping" → CORD. "Thin rope that may be used in bungee jumping" resolves to "CORD" once you read the clue as a 4-letter crossword answer.

   Solving note

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

4. Middle 4Exhibit D

   COLD

   At a dead end, as a case

   Clue insight

   Exhibit D — "At a dead end, as a case" → COLD. "At a dead end, as a case" resolves to "COLD" once you read the clue as a 4-letter crossword answer.

   Solving note

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

5. Middle 5Exhibit E

   COLT

   Young male horse

   Clue insight

   Exhibit E — "Young male horse" → COLT. "Young male horse" resolves to "COLT" once you read the clue as a 4-letter crossword answer.

   Solving note

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

1. TURN → TORNStep 1

   U→O at the second letter (TURN → TORN)

   Link A: U→O at the second letter (TURN → TORN).

   Combo-adjacent link — confirms end word placement.

2. TORN → CORNStep 2

   T→C at the first letter (TORN → CORN)

   Link B: T→C at the first letter (TORN → CORN).

   Middle chain link — ordering constraint.

3. CORN → CORDStep 3

   N→D at the fourth letter (CORN → CORD)

   Link C: N→D at the fourth letter (CORN → CORD).

   Middle chain link — ordering constraint.

4. CORD → COLDStep 4

   R→L at the third letter (CORD → COLD)

   Link D: R→L at the third letter (CORD → COLD).

   Middle chain link — ordering constraint.

5. COLD → COLTStep 5

   D→T at the fourth letter (COLD → COLT)

   Link E: D→T at the fourth letter (COLD → COLT).

   Middle chain link — ordering constraint.

6. COLT → COATStep 6

   L→A at the third letter (COLT → COAT)

   Link F: L→A at the third letter (COLT → COAT).

   Combo-adjacent link — confirms end word placement.

The evidence supports middle order TORN → CORN → CORD → COLD → COLT. Alternative permutations break the one-letter adjacency rule unless an answer is wrong.

Final exhibits: TURN (top combo) and COAT (bottom combo). Shared prompt: "A compound word for someone who can't be trusted.".

The combo clue "A compound word for someone who can't be trusted." describes both end words together — "TURN" and "COAT" 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 TORN, CORN, CORD, COLD, COLT. Middle 1: "Ripped" → TORN. "Ripped" resolves to "TORN" once you read the clue as a 4-letter crossword answer. Middle 2: "Vegetable basis of the Mexican snack elote" → CORN. "Vegetable basis of the Mexican snack elote" resolves to "CORN" once you read the clue as a 4-letter crossword answer. Middle 3: "Thin rope that may be used in bungee jumping" → CORD. "Thin rope that may be used in bungee jumping" resolves to "CORD" once you read the clue as a 4-letter crossword answer. Middle 4: "At a dead end, as a case" → COLD. "At a dead end, as a case" resolves to "COLD" once you read the clue as a 4-letter crossword answer. Middle 5: "Young male horse" → COLT. "Young male horse" resolves to "COLT" 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: TORN → CORN → CORD → COLD → COLT. Ladder step: U→O at the second letter (TURN → TORN) (connects to a combo end). Ladder step: T→C at the first letter (TORN → CORN). Ladder step: N→D at the fourth letter (CORN → CORD). Ladder step: R→L at the third letter (CORD → COLD). Ladder step: D→T at the fourth letter (COLD → COLT). Ladder step: L→A at the third letter (COLT → COAT) (connects to a combo end). Phase 3: Unlock combo ends — top "TURN" and bottom "COAT" share the clue: A compound word for someone who can't be trusted..

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 TURN to COAT. The top and bottom rows share one combo clue: A compound word for someone who can't be trusted. The solution path is TURN → TORN → CORN → CORD → COLD → COLT → COAT, changing exactly one letter between each rung. Middle clues include Ripped, Vegetable basis of the Mexican snack elote, and Thin rope that may be used in bungee jumping, and others — solve these before reordering. Correct middle order: TORN → CORN → CORD → COLD → COLT. The combo clue "A compound word for someone who can't be trusted." describes both end words together — "TURN" and "COAT" 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.