LinkedIn Crossclimb #866

LinkedIn Crossclimb #866 is the LinkedIn Crossclimb daily for September 13, 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 HOUSE to COUCH:

HOUSE → ROUSE → ROUGE → ROUGH → TOUGH → TOUCH → COUCH

Top and bottom share the combo clue: “A place to live, and a piece of furniture often found in it.”

1. Middle 1First middle

   ROUSE

   Awaken, or stir to action

   Clue insight

   I read "Awaken, or stir to action" and write ROUSE. "Awaken, or stir to action" resolves to "ROUSE" once you read the clue as a 5-letter crossword answer.

   Solving note

   First middle: Lock this before reordering middles.

2. Middle 2Second middle

   ROUGE

   Cosmetics purchase for the cheeks

   Clue insight

   I read "Cosmetics purchase for the cheeks" and write ROUGE. "Cosmetics purchase for the cheeks" resolves to "ROUGE" once you read the clue as a 5-letter crossword answer.

   Solving note

   Second middle: Lock this before reordering middles.

3. Middle 3Third middle

   ROUGH

   ___ and tumble (turbulent)

   Clue insight

   I read "___ and tumble (turbulent)" and write ROUGH. Fill-in style clue — "ROUGH" completes the pattern described in "___ and tumble (turbulent)".

   Solving note

   Third middle: Lock this before reordering middles.

4. Middle 4Fourth middle

   TOUGH

   Hard to chew, like low-quality meat

   Clue insight

   I read "Hard to chew, like low-quality meat" and write TOUGH. "Hard to chew, like low-quality meat" resolves to "TOUGH" once you read the clue as a 5-letter crossword answer.

   Solving note

   Fourth middle: Lock this before reordering middles.

5. Middle 5Fifth middle

   TOUCH

   Affect one's heartstrings

   Clue insight

   I read "Affect one's heartstrings" and write TOUCH. "Affect one's heartstrings" resolves to "TOUCH" once you read the clue as a 5-letter crossword answer.

   Solving note

   Fifth middle: Lock this before reordering middles.

1. HOUSE → ROUSEStep 1

   H→R at the first letter (HOUSE → ROUSE)

   I check HOUSE → ROUSE: H→R at the first letter (HOUSE → ROUSE).

   First link: Consonant swap — keep the chain tight.

2. ROUSE → ROUGEStep 2

   S→G at the fourth letter (ROUSE → ROUGE)

   I check ROUSE → ROUGE: S→G at the fourth letter (ROUSE → ROUGE).

   Second link: Consonant swap — keep the chain tight.

3. ROUGE → ROUGHStep 3

   E→H at the fifth letter (ROUGE → ROUGH)

   I check ROUGE → ROUGH: E→H at the fifth letter (ROUGE → ROUGH).

   Third link: Consonant swap — keep the chain tight.

4. ROUGH → TOUGHStep 4

   R→T at the first letter (ROUGH → TOUGH)

   I check ROUGH → TOUGH: R→T at the first letter (ROUGH → TOUGH).

   Fourth link: Consonant swap — keep the chain tight.

5. TOUGH → TOUCHStep 5

   G→C at the fourth letter (TOUGH → TOUCH)

   I check TOUGH → TOUCH: G→C at the fourth letter (TOUGH → TOUCH).

   Fifth link: Consonant swap — keep the chain tight.

6. TOUCH → COUCHStep 6

   T→C at the first letter (TOUCH → COUCH)

   I check TOUCH → COUCH: T→C at the first letter (TOUCH → COUCH).

   Sixth link: Consonant swap — keep the chain tight.

I arrange middles as ROUSE → ROUGE → ROUGH → TOUGH → TOUCH because that's the chain where every hop changes one letter. 6 links checked — H→R at the first letter (HOUSE → ROUSE) through T→C at the first letter (TOUCH → COUCH).

Combo clue "A place to live, and a piece of furniture often found in it." — I only fill HOUSE and COUCH after middles order cleanly. The pair should read naturally against the clue.

The combo clue "A place to live, and a piece of furniture often found in it." describes both end words together — "HOUSE" and "COUCH" 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 ROUSE, ROUGE, ROUGH, TOUGH, TOUCH. Middle 1: "Awaken, or stir to action" → ROUSE. "Awaken, or stir to action" resolves to "ROUSE" once you read the clue as a 5-letter crossword answer. Middle 2: "Cosmetics purchase for the cheeks" → ROUGE. "Cosmetics purchase for the cheeks" resolves to "ROUGE" once you read the clue as a 5-letter crossword answer. Middle 3: "___ and tumble (turbulent)" → ROUGH. Fill-in style clue — "ROUGH" completes the pattern described in "___ and tumble (turbulent)". Middle 4: "Hard to chew, like low-quality meat" → TOUGH. "Hard to chew, like low-quality meat" resolves to "TOUGH" once you read the clue as a 5-letter crossword answer. Middle 5: "Affect one's heartstrings" → TOUCH. "Affect one's heartstrings" resolves to "TOUCH" 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: ROUSE → ROUGE → ROUGH → TOUGH → TOUCH. Ladder step: H→R at the first letter (HOUSE → ROUSE) (connects to a combo end). Ladder step: S→G at the fourth letter (ROUSE → ROUGE). Ladder step: E→H at the fifth letter (ROUGE → ROUGH). Ladder step: R→T at the first letter (ROUGH → TOUGH). Ladder step: G→C at the fourth letter (TOUGH → TOUCH). Ladder step: T→C at the first letter (TOUCH → COUCH) (connects to a combo end). Phase 3: Unlock combo ends — top "HOUSE" and bottom "COUCH" share the clue: A place to live, and a piece of furniture often found in it..

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 HOUSE to COUCH. The top and bottom rows share one combo clue: A place to live, and a piece of furniture often found in it. The solution path is HOUSE → ROUSE → ROUGE → ROUGH → TOUGH → TOUCH → COUCH, changing exactly one letter between each rung. Middle clues include Awaken, or stir to action, Cosmetics purchase for the cheeks, and ___ and tumble (turbulent), and others — solve these before reordering. Correct middle order: ROUSE → ROUGE → ROUGH → TOUGH → TOUCH. The combo clue "A place to live, and a piece of furniture often found in it." describes both end words together — "HOUSE" and "COUCH" 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.