LinkedIn Crossclimb #838

LinkedIn Crossclimb #838 is the LinkedIn Crossclimb daily for August 16, 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 MUSSEL to FILLET:

MUSSEL → MUSSED → MISSED → MISLED → MILLED → FILLED → FILLET

Top and bottom share the combo clue: “Two options at a seafood restaurant: one a type of shellfish, the other a cut of fish.”

1. Middle 1Warm-up clue

   MUSSED

   Made untidy or disheveled, as someone's hair

   Clue insight

   "Made untidy or disheveled, as someone's hair" resolves to "MUSSED" once you read the clue as a 6-letter crossword answer.

   Solving note

   Warm-up clue: Solve "Made untidy or disheveled, as someone's hair" without peeking at ladder order.

2. Middle 2Cross-check

   MISSED

   Didn't hit the target

   Clue insight

   "Didn't hit the target" resolves to "MISSED" once you read the clue as a 6-letter crossword answer.

   Solving note

   Cross-check: Solve "Didn't hit the target" without peeking at ladder order.

3. Middle 3Pivot answer

   MISLED

   Gave false information to

   Clue insight

   "Gave false information to" resolves to "MISLED" once you read the clue as a 6-letter crossword answer.

   Solving note

   Pivot answer: Solve "Gave false information to" without peeking at ladder order.

4. Middle 4Verifier

   MILLED

   Fed through a grinding machine, as wheat

   Clue insight

   "Fed through a grinding machine, as wheat" resolves to "MILLED" once you read the clue as a 6-letter crossword answer.

   Solving note

   Verifier: Solve "Fed through a grinding machine, as wheat" without peeking at ladder order.

5. Middle 5Final middle

   FILLED

   Like these blanks, when you're done with them

   Clue insight

   Fill-in style clue — "FILLED" completes the pattern described in "Like these blanks, when you're done with them".

   Solving note

   Final middle: Solve "Like these blanks, when you're done with them" without peeking at ladder order.

1. MUSSEL → MUSSEDStep 1

   L→D at the sixth letter (MUSSEL → MUSSED)

   Teaching link MUSSEL→MUSSED: L→D at the sixth letter (MUSSEL → MUSSED).

   Rule check 1: Students should reject pairs with 2+ letter differences.

2. MUSSED → MISSEDStep 2

   U→I at the second letter (MUSSED → MISSED)

   Teaching link MUSSED→MISSED: U→I at the second letter (MUSSED → MISSED).

   Rule check 2: Students should reject pairs with 2+ letter differences.

3. MISSED → MISLEDStep 3

   S→L at the fourth letter (MISSED → MISLED)

   Teaching link MISSED→MISLED: S→L at the fourth letter (MISSED → MISLED).

   Rule check 3: Students should reject pairs with 2+ letter differences.

4. MISLED → MILLEDStep 4

   S→L at the third letter (MISLED → MILLED)

   Teaching link MISLED→MILLED: S→L at the third letter (MISLED → MILLED).

   Rule check 4: Students should reject pairs with 2+ letter differences.

5. MILLED → FILLEDStep 5

   M→F at the first letter (MILLED → FILLED)

   Teaching link MILLED→FILLED: M→F at the first letter (MILLED → FILLED).

   Rule check 5: Students should reject pairs with 2+ letter differences.

6. FILLED → FILLETStep 6

   D→T at the sixth letter (FILLED → FILLET)

   Teaching link FILLED→FILLET: D→T at the sixth letter (FILLED → FILLET).

   Rule check 6: Students should reject pairs with 2+ letter differences.

Teach students to test pairs: MUSSED → MISSED → MISLED → MILLED → FILLED works because MUSSEL→MUSSED, MUSSED→MISSED, MISSED→MISLED, MISLED→MILLED, MILLED→FILLED, FILLED→FILLET each differ by one letter only.

Endgame: combo clue "Two options at a seafood restaurant: one a type of shellfish, the other a cut of fish." describes both MUSSEL and FILLET. Unlock only after ladder ordering passes every one-letter check.

The combo clue "Two options at a seafood restaurant: one a type of shellfish, the other a cut of fish." describes both end words together — "MUSSEL" and "FILLET" 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 MUSSED, MISSED, MISLED, MILLED, FILLED. Middle 1: "Made untidy or disheveled, as someone's hair" → MUSSED. "Made untidy or disheveled, as someone's hair" resolves to "MUSSED" once you read the clue as a 6-letter crossword answer. Middle 2: "Didn't hit the target" → MISSED. "Didn't hit the target" resolves to "MISSED" once you read the clue as a 6-letter crossword answer. Middle 3: "Gave false information to" → MISLED. "Gave false information to" resolves to "MISLED" once you read the clue as a 6-letter crossword answer. Middle 4: "Fed through a grinding machine, as wheat" → MILLED. "Fed through a grinding machine, as wheat" resolves to "MILLED" once you read the clue as a 6-letter crossword answer. Middle 5: "Like these blanks, when you're done with them" → FILLED. Fill-in style clue — "FILLED" completes the pattern described in "Like these blanks, when you're done with them". Phase 2: Order the middle rungs so adjacent words differ by one letter — valid chain: MUSSED → MISSED → MISLED → MILLED → FILLED. Ladder step: L→D at the sixth letter (MUSSEL → MUSSED) (connects to a combo end). Ladder step: U→I at the second letter (MUSSED → MISSED). Ladder step: S→L at the fourth letter (MISSED → MISLED). Ladder step: S→L at the third letter (MISLED → MILLED). Ladder step: M→F at the first letter (MILLED → FILLED). Ladder step: D→T at the sixth letter (FILLED → FILLET) (connects to a combo end). Phase 3: Unlock combo ends — top "MUSSEL" and bottom "FILLET" share the clue: Two options at a seafood restaurant: one a type of shellfish, the other a cut of fish..

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

This Crossclimb is a 6-letter word ladder from MUSSEL to FILLET. The top and bottom rows share one combo clue: Two options at a seafood restaurant: one a type of shellfish, the other a cut of fish. The solution path is MUSSEL → MUSSED → MISSED → MISLED → MILLED → FILLED → FILLET, changing exactly one letter between each rung. Middle clues include Made untidy or disheveled, as someone's hair, Didn't hit the target, and Gave false information to, and others — solve these before reordering. Correct middle order: MUSSED → MISSED → MISLED → MILLED → FILLED. The combo clue "Two options at a seafood restaurant: one a type of shellfish, the other a cut of fish." describes both end words together — "MUSSEL" and "FILLET" 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.