LinkedIn Crossclimb #848

LinkedIn Crossclimb #848 is the LinkedIn Crossclimb daily for August 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: Medium. Estimated solve time: 4–6 min. Read the explainer sections below for strategy, or jump straight into play.

The complete word ladder from DOWN to LOAD:

DOWN → TOWN → TORN → CORN → CORD → LORD → LOAD

Top and bottom share the combo clue: “A compound word for transferring data from an online source to a local computer.”

1. Middle 1Warm-up clue

   TOWN

   Human residential area smaller than a city

   Clue insight

   "Human residential area smaller than a city" resolves to "TOWN" once you read the clue as a 4-letter crossword answer.

   Solving note

   Warm-up clue: Solve "Human residential area smaller than a city" without peeking at ladder order.

2. Middle 2Cross-check

   TORN

   Ripped apart, as scraps of paper

   Clue insight

   "Ripped apart, as scraps of paper" resolves to "TORN" once you read the clue as a 4-letter crossword answer.

   Solving note

   Cross-check: Solve "Ripped apart, as scraps of paper" without peeking at ladder order.

3. Middle 3Pivot answer

   CORN

   Vegetable that can be eaten “on the cob”

   Clue insight

   "Vegetable that can be eaten “on the cob”" resolves to "CORN" once you read the clue as a 4-letter crossword answer.

   Solving note

   Pivot answer: Solve "Vegetable that can be eaten “on the cob”" without peeking at ladder order.

4. Middle 4Verifier

   CORD

   Word after power, spinal, or vocal

   Clue insight

   "Word after power, spinal, or vocal" resolves to "CORD" once you read the clue as a 4-letter crossword answer.

   Solving note

   Verifier: Solve "Word after power, spinal, or vocal" without peeking at ladder order.

5. Middle 5Final middle

   LORD

   “The ___ of the Rings” (fantasy epic published in three parts)

   Clue insight

   Fill-in style clue — "LORD" completes the pattern described in "“The ___ of the Rings” (fantasy epic published in three parts)".

   Solving note

   Final middle: Solve "“The ___ of the Rings” (fantasy epic published in three parts)" without peeking at ladder order.

1. DOWN → TOWNStep 1

   D→T at the first letter (DOWN → TOWN)

   Teaching link DOWN→TOWN: D→T at the first letter (DOWN → TOWN).

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

2. TOWN → TORNStep 2

   W→R at the third letter (TOWN → TORN)

   Teaching link TOWN→TORN: W→R at the third letter (TOWN → TORN).

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

3. TORN → CORNStep 3

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

   Teaching link TORN→CORN: T→C at the first letter (TORN → CORN).

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

4. CORN → CORDStep 4

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

   Teaching link CORN→CORD: N→D at the fourth letter (CORN → CORD).

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

5. CORD → LORDStep 5

   C→L at the first letter (CORD → LORD)

   Teaching link CORD→LORD: C→L at the first letter (CORD → LORD).

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

6. LORD → LOADStep 6

   R→A at the third letter (LORD → LOAD)

   Teaching link LORD→LOAD: R→A at the third letter (LORD → LOAD).

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

Teach students to test pairs: TOWN → TORN → CORN → CORD → LORD works because DOWN→TOWN, TOWN→TORN, TORN→CORN, CORN→CORD, CORD→LORD, LORD→LOAD each differ by one letter only.

Endgame: combo clue "A compound word for transferring data from an online source to a local computer." describes both DOWN and LOAD. Unlock only after ladder ordering passes every one-letter check.

The combo clue "A compound word for transferring data from an online source to a local computer." describes both end words together — "DOWN" and "LOAD" 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 TOWN, TORN, CORN, CORD, LORD. Middle 1: "Human residential area smaller than a city" → TOWN. "Human residential area smaller than a city" resolves to "TOWN" once you read the clue as a 4-letter crossword answer. Middle 2: "Ripped apart, as scraps of paper" → TORN. "Ripped apart, as scraps of paper" resolves to "TORN" once you read the clue as a 4-letter crossword answer. Middle 3: "Vegetable that can be eaten “on the cob”" → CORN. "Vegetable that can be eaten “on the cob”" resolves to "CORN" once you read the clue as a 4-letter crossword answer. Middle 4: "Word after power, spinal, or vocal" → CORD. "Word after power, spinal, or vocal" resolves to "CORD" once you read the clue as a 4-letter crossword answer. Middle 5: "“The ___ of the Rings” (fantasy epic published in three parts)" → LORD. Fill-in style clue — "LORD" completes the pattern described in "“The ___ of the Rings” (fantasy epic published in three parts)". Phase 2: Order the middle rungs so adjacent words differ by one letter — valid chain: TOWN → TORN → CORN → CORD → LORD. Ladder step: D→T at the first letter (DOWN → TOWN) (connects to a combo end). Ladder step: W→R at the third letter (TOWN → TORN). Ladder step: T→C at the first letter (TORN → CORN). Ladder step: N→D at the fourth letter (CORN → CORD). Ladder step: C→L at the first letter (CORD → LORD). Ladder step: R→A at the third letter (LORD → LOAD) (connects to a combo end). Phase 3: Unlock combo ends — top "DOWN" and bottom "LOAD" share the clue: A compound word for transferring data from an online source to a local computer..

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 DOWN to LOAD. The top and bottom rows share one combo clue: A compound word for transferring data from an online source to a local computer. The solution path is DOWN → TOWN → TORN → CORN → CORD → LORD → LOAD, changing exactly one letter between each rung. Middle clues include Human residential area smaller than a city, Ripped apart, as scraps of paper, and Vegetable that can be eaten “on the cob”, and others — solve these before reordering. Correct middle order: TOWN → TORN → CORN → CORD → LORD. The combo clue "A compound word for transferring data from an online source to a local computer." describes both end words together — "DOWN" and "LOAD" 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.