LinkedIn Crossclimb #868

LinkedIn Crossclimb #868 is the LinkedIn Crossclimb daily for September 15, 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: Easy. Estimated solve time: 3–5 min. Read the explainer sections below for strategy, or jump straight into play.

The complete word ladder from BACK to PACK:

BACK → BARK → LARK → LACK → LICK → PICK → PACK

Top and bottom share the combo clue: “A compound word meaning to go on some adventurous travel with just a bag over your shoulders.”

1. Middle 1Warm-up clue

   BARK

   Outside covering of a tree

   Clue insight

   "Outside covering of a tree" resolves to "BARK" once you read the clue as a 4-letter crossword answer.

   Solving note

   Warm-up clue: Solve "Outside covering of a tree" without peeking at ladder order.

2. Middle 2Cross-check

   LARK

   Songbird whose name completes the phrase “on a ___”, meaning to do something impulsively or just for fun

   Clue insight

   Fill-in style clue — "LARK" completes the pattern described in "Songbird whose name completes the phrase “on a ___”, meaning to do something impulsively or just for fun".

   Solving note

   Cross-check: Solve "Songbird whose name completes the phrase “on a ___”, meaning to do something impulsively or just for fun" without peeking at ladder order.

3. Middle 3Pivot answer

   LACK

   Shortage or absence of something

   Clue insight

   "Shortage or absence of something" resolves to "LACK" once you read the clue as a 4-letter crossword answer.

   Solving note

   Pivot answer: Solve "Shortage or absence of something" without peeking at ladder order.

4. Middle 4Verifier

   LICK

   Short taste, as of a lollipop

   Clue insight

   "Short taste, as of a lollipop" resolves to "LICK" once you read the clue as a 4-letter crossword answer.

   Solving note

   Verifier: Solve "Short taste, as of a lollipop" without peeking at ladder order.

5. Middle 5Final middle

   PICK

   Choose between a few options

   Clue insight

   "Choose between a few options" resolves to "PICK" once you read the clue as a 4-letter crossword answer.

   Solving note

   Final middle: Solve "Choose between a few options" without peeking at ladder order.

1. BACK → BARKStep 1

   C→R at the third letter (BACK → BARK)

   Teaching link BACK→BARK: C→R at the third letter (BACK → BARK).

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

2. BARK → LARKStep 2

   B→L at the first letter (BARK → LARK)

   Teaching link BARK→LARK: B→L at the first letter (BARK → LARK).

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

3. LARK → LACKStep 3

   R→C at the third letter (LARK → LACK)

   Teaching link LARK→LACK: R→C at the third letter (LARK → LACK).

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

4. LACK → LICKStep 4

   A→I at the second letter (LACK → LICK)

   Teaching link LACK→LICK: A→I at the second letter (LACK → LICK).

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

5. LICK → PICKStep 5

   L→P at the first letter (LICK → PICK)

   Teaching link LICK→PICK: L→P at the first letter (LICK → PICK).

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

6. PICK → PACKStep 6

   I→A at the second letter (PICK → PACK)

   Teaching link PICK→PACK: I→A at the second letter (PICK → PACK).

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

Teach students to test pairs: BARK → LARK → LACK → LICK → PICK works because BACK→BARK, BARK→LARK, LARK→LACK, LACK→LICK, LICK→PICK, PICK→PACK each differ by one letter only.

Endgame: combo clue "A compound word meaning to go on some adventurous travel with just a bag over your shoulders." describes both BACK and PACK. Unlock only after ladder ordering passes every one-letter check.

The combo clue "A compound word meaning to go on some adventurous travel with just a bag over your shoulders." describes both end words together — "BACK" and "PACK" 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 BARK, LARK, LACK, LICK, PICK. Middle 1: "Outside covering of a tree" → BARK. "Outside covering of a tree" resolves to "BARK" once you read the clue as a 4-letter crossword answer. Middle 2: "Songbird whose name completes the phrase “on a ___”, meaning to do something impulsively or just for fun" → LARK. Fill-in style clue — "LARK" completes the pattern described in "Songbird whose name completes the phrase “on a ___”, meaning to do something impulsively or just for fun". Middle 3: "Shortage or absence of something" → LACK. "Shortage or absence of something" resolves to "LACK" once you read the clue as a 4-letter crossword answer. Middle 4: "Short taste, as of a lollipop" → LICK. "Short taste, as of a lollipop" resolves to "LICK" once you read the clue as a 4-letter crossword answer. Middle 5: "Choose between a few options" → PICK. "Choose between a few options" resolves to "PICK" 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: BARK → LARK → LACK → LICK → PICK. Ladder step: C→R at the third letter (BACK → BARK) (connects to a combo end). Ladder step: B→L at the first letter (BARK → LARK). Ladder step: R→C at the third letter (LARK → LACK). Ladder step: A→I at the second letter (LACK → LICK). Ladder step: L→P at the first letter (LICK → PICK). Ladder step: I→A at the second letter (PICK → PACK) (connects to a combo end). Phase 3: Unlock combo ends — top "BACK" and bottom "PACK" share the clue: A compound word meaning to go on some adventurous travel with just a bag over your shoulders..

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 BACK to PACK. The top and bottom rows share one combo clue: A compound word meaning to go on some adventurous travel with just a bag over your shoulders. The solution path is BACK → BARK → LARK → LACK → LICK → PICK → PACK, changing exactly one letter between each rung. Middle clues include Outside covering of a tree, Songbird whose name completes the phrase “on a ___”, meaning to do something impulsively or just for fun, and Shortage or absence of something, and others — solve these before reordering. Correct middle order: BARK → LARK → LACK → LICK → PICK. The combo clue "A compound word meaning to go on some adventurous travel with just a bag over your shoulders." describes both end words together — "BACK" and "PACK" 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.