LinkedIn Crossclimb #831

LinkedIn Crossclimb #831 is the LinkedIn Crossclimb daily for August 9, 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 CROSS to TRAIN:

CROSS → CROWS → CROWN → BROWN → BRAWN → BRAIN → TRAIN

Top and bottom share the combo clue: “A hyphenated word meaning to engage in different sporting activities to balance health and muscular development.”

1. Middle 1First middle

   CROWS

   Black birds that collectively form a “murder”

   Clue insight

   I read "Black birds that collectively form a “murder”" and write CROWS. "Black birds that collectively form a “murder”" resolves to "CROWS" once you read the clue as a 5-letter crossword answer.

   Solving note

   First middle: Lock this before reordering middles.

2. Middle 2Second middle

   CROWN

   The top part of the head, or something one might put there

   Clue insight

   I read "The top part of the head, or something one might put there" and write CROWN. "The top part of the head, or something one might put there" resolves to "CROWN" once you read the clue as a 5-letter crossword answer.

   Solving note

   Second middle: Lock this before reordering middles.

3. Middle 3Third middle

   BROWN

   Cook until the color changes, as onions

   Clue insight

   I read "Cook until the color changes, as onions" and write BROWN. "Cook until the color changes, as onions" resolves to "BROWN" once you read the clue as a 5-letter crossword answer.

   Solving note

   Third middle: Lock this before reordering middles.

4. Middle 4Fourth middle

   BRAWN

   Muscular strength

   Clue insight

   I read "Muscular strength" and write BRAWN. "Muscular strength" resolves to "BRAWN" once you read the clue as a 5-letter crossword answer.

   Solving note

   Fourth middle: Lock this before reordering middles.

5. Middle 5Fifth middle

   BRAIN

   Human organ that takes up only 2% of a body’s weight but uses about 20% of its energy

   Clue insight

   I read "Human organ that takes up only 2% of a body’s weight but uses about 20% of its energy" and write BRAIN. "Human organ that takes up only 2% of a body’s weight but uses about 20% of its energy" resolves to "BRAIN" once you read the clue as a 5-letter crossword answer.

   Solving note

   Fifth middle: Lock this before reordering middles.

1. CROSS → CROWSStep 1

   S→W at the fourth letter (CROSS → CROWS)

   I check CROSS → CROWS: S→W at the fourth letter (CROSS → CROWS).

   First link: Consonant swap — keep the chain tight.

2. CROWS → CROWNStep 2

   S→N at the fifth letter (CROWS → CROWN)

   I check CROWS → CROWN: S→N at the fifth letter (CROWS → CROWN).

   Second link: Consonant swap — keep the chain tight.

3. CROWN → BROWNStep 3

   C→B at the first letter (CROWN → BROWN)

   I check CROWN → BROWN: C→B at the first letter (CROWN → BROWN).

   Third link: Consonant swap — keep the chain tight.

4. BROWN → BRAWNStep 4

   O→A at the third letter (BROWN → BRAWN)

   I check BROWN → BRAWN: O→A at the third letter (BROWN → BRAWN).

   Fourth link: Vowel swap — keep the chain tight.

5. BRAWN → BRAINStep 5

   W→I at the fourth letter (BRAWN → BRAIN)

   I check BRAWN → BRAIN: W→I at the fourth letter (BRAWN → BRAIN).

   Fifth link: Consonant swap — keep the chain tight.

6. BRAIN → TRAINStep 6

   B→T at the first letter (BRAIN → TRAIN)

   I check BRAIN → TRAIN: B→T at the first letter (BRAIN → TRAIN).

   Sixth link: Consonant swap — keep the chain tight.

I arrange middles as CROWS → CROWN → BROWN → BRAWN → BRAIN because that's the chain where every hop changes one letter. 6 links checked — S→W at the fourth letter (CROSS → CROWS) through B→T at the first letter (BRAIN → TRAIN).

Combo clue "A hyphenated word meaning to engage in different sporting activities to balance health and muscular development." — I only fill CROSS and TRAIN after middles order cleanly. The pair should read naturally against the clue.

The combo clue "A hyphenated word meaning to engage in different sporting activities to balance health and muscular development." describes both end words together — "CROSS" and "TRAIN" 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 CROWS, CROWN, BROWN, BRAWN, BRAIN. Middle 1: "Black birds that collectively form a “murder”" → CROWS. "Black birds that collectively form a “murder”" resolves to "CROWS" once you read the clue as a 5-letter crossword answer. Middle 2: "The top part of the head, or something one might put there" → CROWN. "The top part of the head, or something one might put there" resolves to "CROWN" once you read the clue as a 5-letter crossword answer. Middle 3: "Cook until the color changes, as onions" → BROWN. "Cook until the color changes, as onions" resolves to "BROWN" once you read the clue as a 5-letter crossword answer. Middle 4: "Muscular strength" → BRAWN. "Muscular strength" resolves to "BRAWN" once you read the clue as a 5-letter crossword answer. Middle 5: "Human organ that takes up only 2% of a body’s weight but uses about 20% of its energy" → BRAIN. "Human organ that takes up only 2% of a body’s weight but uses about 20% of its energy" resolves to "BRAIN" once you read the clue as a 5-letter crossword answer. Phase 2: Order the middle rungs so adjacent words differ by one letter — valid chain: CROWS → CROWN → BROWN → BRAWN → BRAIN. Ladder step: S→W at the fourth letter (CROSS → CROWS) (connects to a combo end). Ladder step: S→N at the fifth letter (CROWS → CROWN). Ladder step: C→B at the first letter (CROWN → BROWN). Ladder step: O→A at the third letter (BROWN → BRAWN). Ladder step: W→I at the fourth letter (BRAWN → BRAIN). Ladder step: B→T at the first letter (BRAIN → TRAIN) (connects to a combo end). Phase 3: Unlock combo ends — top "CROSS" and bottom "TRAIN" share the clue: A hyphenated word meaning to engage in different sporting activities to balance health and muscular development..

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

This Crossclimb is a 5-letter word ladder from CROSS to TRAIN. The top and bottom rows share one combo clue: A hyphenated word meaning to engage in different sporting activities to balance health and muscular development. The solution path is CROSS → CROWS → CROWN → BROWN → BRAWN → BRAIN → TRAIN, changing exactly one letter between each rung. Middle clues include Black birds that collectively form a “murder”, The top part of the head, or something one might put there, and Cook until the color changes, as onions, and others — solve these before reordering. Correct middle order: CROWS → CROWN → BROWN → BRAWN → BRAIN. The combo clue "A hyphenated word meaning to engage in different sporting activities to balance health and muscular development." describes both end words together — "CROSS" and "TRAIN" 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.