LinkedIn Crossclimb #817

LinkedIn Crossclimb #817 is the LinkedIn Crossclimb daily for July 26, 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 KEEP to COLD:

KEEP → KEEN → TEEN → TEED → TOED → TOLD → COLD

Top and bottom share the combo clue: “A two-word phrase meaning "to refrigerate."”

1. Middle 1Exhibit A

   KEEN

   Very interested in something

   Clue insight

   Exhibit A — "Very interested in something" → KEEN. "Very interested in something" resolves to "KEEN" 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

   TEEN

   Someone older than twelve but younger than twenty

   Clue insight

   Exhibit B — "Someone older than twelve but younger than twenty" → TEEN. "Someone older than twelve but younger than twenty" resolves to "TEEN" 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

   TEED

   Ready to be hit, as a golf ball

   Clue insight

   Exhibit C — "Ready to be hit, as a golf ball" → TEED. "Ready to be hit, as a golf ball" resolves to "TEED" 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

   TOED

   Open-___ shoes

   Clue insight

   Exhibit D — "Open-___ shoes" → TOED. Fill-in style clue — "TOED" completes the pattern described in "Open-___ shoes".

   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

   TOLD

   Relayed, as a story

   Clue insight

   Exhibit E — "Relayed, as a story" → TOLD. "Relayed, as a story" resolves to "TOLD" 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. KEEP → KEENStep 1

   P→N at the fourth letter (KEEP → KEEN)

   Link A: P→N at the fourth letter (KEEP → KEEN).

   Combo-adjacent link — confirms end word placement.

2. KEEN → TEENStep 2

   K→T at the first letter (KEEN → TEEN)

   Link B: K→T at the first letter (KEEN → TEEN).

   Middle chain link — ordering constraint.

3. TEEN → TEEDStep 3

   N→D at the fourth letter (TEEN → TEED)

   Link C: N→D at the fourth letter (TEEN → TEED).

   Middle chain link — ordering constraint.

4. TEED → TOEDStep 4

   E→O at the second letter (TEED → TOED)

   Link D: E→O at the second letter (TEED → TOED).

   Middle chain link — ordering constraint.

5. TOED → TOLDStep 5

   E→L at the third letter (TOED → TOLD)

   Link E: E→L at the third letter (TOED → TOLD).

   Middle chain link — ordering constraint.

6. TOLD → COLDStep 6

   T→C at the first letter (TOLD → COLD)

   Link F: T→C at the first letter (TOLD → COLD).

   Combo-adjacent link — confirms end word placement.

The evidence supports middle order KEEN → TEEN → TEED → TOED → TOLD. Alternative permutations break the one-letter adjacency rule unless an answer is wrong.

Final exhibits: KEEP (top combo) and COLD (bottom combo). Shared prompt: "A two-word phrase meaning "to refrigerate."".

The combo clue "A two-word phrase meaning "to refrigerate."" describes both end words together — "KEEP" and "COLD" 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 KEEN, TEEN, TEED, TOED, TOLD. Middle 1: "Very interested in something" → KEEN. "Very interested in something" resolves to "KEEN" once you read the clue as a 4-letter crossword answer. Middle 2: "Someone older than twelve but younger than twenty" → TEEN. "Someone older than twelve but younger than twenty" resolves to "TEEN" once you read the clue as a 4-letter crossword answer. Middle 3: "Ready to be hit, as a golf ball" → TEED. "Ready to be hit, as a golf ball" resolves to "TEED" once you read the clue as a 4-letter crossword answer. Middle 4: "Open-___ shoes" → TOED. Fill-in style clue — "TOED" completes the pattern described in "Open-___ shoes". Middle 5: "Relayed, as a story" → TOLD. "Relayed, as a story" resolves to "TOLD" 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: KEEN → TEEN → TEED → TOED → TOLD. Ladder step: P→N at the fourth letter (KEEP → KEEN) (connects to a combo end). Ladder step: K→T at the first letter (KEEN → TEEN). Ladder step: N→D at the fourth letter (TEEN → TEED). Ladder step: E→O at the second letter (TEED → TOED). Ladder step: E→L at the third letter (TOED → TOLD). Ladder step: T→C at the first letter (TOLD → COLD) (connects to a combo end). Phase 3: Unlock combo ends — top "KEEP" and bottom "COLD" share the clue: A two-word phrase meaning "to refrigerate.".

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 KEEP to COLD. The top and bottom rows share one combo clue: A two-word phrase meaning "to refrigerate.". The solution path is KEEP → KEEN → TEEN → TEED → TOED → TOLD → COLD, changing exactly one letter between each rung. Middle clues include Very interested in something, Someone older than twelve but younger than twenty, and Ready to be hit, as a golf ball, and others — solve these before reordering. Correct middle order: KEEN → TEEN → TEED → TOED → TOLD. The combo clue "A two-word phrase meaning "to refrigerate."" describes both end words together — "KEEP" and "COLD" 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.