LinkedIn Crossclimb #863

LinkedIn Crossclimb #863 is the LinkedIn Crossclimb daily for September 10, 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 ROSE to VASE:

ROSE → ROPE → RIPE → WIPE → WISE → VISE → VASE

Top and bottom share the combo clue: “A type of flower and what you might put it in.”

1. Middle 1Warm-up clue

   ROPE

   What you use to tie up a boat at a pier

   Clue insight

   "What you use to tie up a boat at a pier" resolves to "ROPE" once you read the clue as a 4-letter crossword answer.

   Solving note

   Warm-up clue: Solve "What you use to tie up a boat at a pier" without peeking at ladder order.

2. Middle 2Cross-check

   RIPE

   Ready to eat, like fruit

   Clue insight

   "Ready to eat, like fruit" resolves to "RIPE" once you read the clue as a 4-letter crossword answer.

   Solving note

   Cross-check: Solve "Ready to eat, like fruit" without peeking at ladder order.

3. Middle 3Pivot answer

   WIPE

   Clean with a rag, as a pane of glass

   Clue insight

   "Clean with a rag, as a pane of glass" resolves to "WIPE" once you read the clue as a 4-letter crossword answer.

   Solving note

   Pivot answer: Solve "Clean with a rag, as a pane of glass" without peeking at ladder order.

4. Middle 4Verifier

   WISE

   “A word to the ___” (helpful hint)

   Clue insight

   Fill-in style clue — "WISE" completes the pattern described in "“A word to the ___” (helpful hint)".

   Solving note

   Verifier: Solve "“A word to the ___” (helpful hint)" without peeking at ladder order.

5. Middle 5Final middle

   VISE

   Gripping tool with two jaws

   Clue insight

   "Gripping tool with two jaws" resolves to "VISE" once you read the clue as a 4-letter crossword answer.

   Solving note

   Final middle: Solve "Gripping tool with two jaws" without peeking at ladder order.

1. ROSE → ROPEStep 1

   S→P at the third letter (ROSE → ROPE)

   Teaching link ROSE→ROPE: S→P at the third letter (ROSE → ROPE).

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

2. ROPE → RIPEStep 2

   O→I at the second letter (ROPE → RIPE)

   Teaching link ROPE→RIPE: O→I at the second letter (ROPE → RIPE).

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

3. RIPE → WIPEStep 3

   R→W at the first letter (RIPE → WIPE)

   Teaching link RIPE→WIPE: R→W at the first letter (RIPE → WIPE).

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

4. WIPE → WISEStep 4

   P→S at the third letter (WIPE → WISE)

   Teaching link WIPE→WISE: P→S at the third letter (WIPE → WISE).

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

5. WISE → VISEStep 5

   W→V at the first letter (WISE → VISE)

   Teaching link WISE→VISE: W→V at the first letter (WISE → VISE).

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

6. VISE → VASEStep 6

   I→A at the second letter (VISE → VASE)

   Teaching link VISE→VASE: I→A at the second letter (VISE → VASE).

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

Teach students to test pairs: ROPE → RIPE → WIPE → WISE → VISE works because ROSE→ROPE, ROPE→RIPE, RIPE→WIPE, WIPE→WISE, WISE→VISE, VISE→VASE each differ by one letter only.

Endgame: combo clue "A type of flower and what you might put it in." describes both ROSE and VASE. Unlock only after ladder ordering passes every one-letter check.

The combo clue "A type of flower and what you might put it in." describes both end words together — "ROSE" and "VASE" 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 ROPE, RIPE, WIPE, WISE, VISE. Middle 1: "What you use to tie up a boat at a pier" → ROPE. "What you use to tie up a boat at a pier" resolves to "ROPE" once you read the clue as a 4-letter crossword answer. Middle 2: "Ready to eat, like fruit" → RIPE. "Ready to eat, like fruit" resolves to "RIPE" once you read the clue as a 4-letter crossword answer. Middle 3: "Clean with a rag, as a pane of glass" → WIPE. "Clean with a rag, as a pane of glass" resolves to "WIPE" once you read the clue as a 4-letter crossword answer. Middle 4: "“A word to the ___” (helpful hint)" → WISE. Fill-in style clue — "WISE" completes the pattern described in "“A word to the ___” (helpful hint)". Middle 5: "Gripping tool with two jaws" → VISE. "Gripping tool with two jaws" resolves to "VISE" 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: ROPE → RIPE → WIPE → WISE → VISE. Ladder step: S→P at the third letter (ROSE → ROPE) (connects to a combo end). Ladder step: O→I at the second letter (ROPE → RIPE). Ladder step: R→W at the first letter (RIPE → WIPE). Ladder step: P→S at the third letter (WIPE → WISE). Ladder step: W→V at the first letter (WISE → VISE). Ladder step: I→A at the second letter (VISE → VASE) (connects to a combo end). Phase 3: Unlock combo ends — top "ROSE" and bottom "VASE" share the clue: A type of flower and what you might put it in..

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 ROSE to VASE. The top and bottom rows share one combo clue: A type of flower and what you might put it in. The solution path is ROSE → ROPE → RIPE → WIPE → WISE → VISE → VASE, changing exactly one letter between each rung. Middle clues include What you use to tie up a boat at a pier, Ready to eat, like fruit, and Clean with a rag, as a pane of glass, and others — solve these before reordering. Correct middle order: ROPE → RIPE → WIPE → WISE → VISE. The combo clue "A type of flower and what you might put it in." describes both end words together — "ROSE" and "VASE" 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.