LinkedIn Crossclimb #870

LinkedIn Crossclimb #870 is the LinkedIn Crossclimb daily for September 17, 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 HARD to FAST:

HARD → HERD → HEAD → HEAT → FEAT → FEST → FAST

Top and bottom share the combo clue: “Two words that complete the idiom “a ___ and ___ rule” meaning something that is fixed and cannot easily be changed.”

1. Middle 1Clue 1

   HERD

   Group of cattle

   Clue insight

   The clue "Group of cattle" describes an action or use case that maps cleanly to the verb "HERD".

   Solving note

   Clue 1: Synonyms that are not exactly 4 letters are traps — Crossclimb middles must match the ladder width.

2. Middle 2Clue 2

   HEAD

   “Hit the nail on the ___”

   Clue insight

   Fill-in style clue — "HEAD" completes the pattern described in "“Hit the nail on the ___”".

   Solving note

   Clue 2: A plausible wrong answer often differs in length or cannot one-letter-link to other middles — verify before reordering.

3. Middle 3Clue 3

   HEAT

   Make warm

   Clue insight

   "Make warm" resolves to "HEAT" once you read the clue as a 4-letter crossword answer.

   Solving note

   Clue 3: A plausible wrong answer often differs in length or cannot one-letter-link to other middles — verify before reordering.

4. Middle 4Clue 4

   FEAT

   Impressive achievement requiring a fair amount of skill

   Clue insight

   "Impressive achievement requiring a fair amount of skill" resolves to "FEAT" once you read the clue as a 4-letter crossword answer.

   Solving note

   Clue 4: A plausible wrong answer often differs in length or cannot one-letter-link to other middles — verify before reordering.

5. Middle 5Clue 5

   FEST

   Gathering or celebration (often used as a suffix, as after Oktober)

   Clue insight

   "Gathering or celebration (often used as a suffix, as after Oktober)" resolves to "FEST" once you read the clue as a 4-letter crossword answer.

   Solving note

   Clue 5: A plausible wrong answer often differs in length or cannot one-letter-link to other middles — verify before reordering.

1. HARD → HERDStep 1

   A→E at the second letter (HARD → HERD)

   HARD and HERD are adjacent in the solved ladder — A→E at the second letter (HARD → HERD).

   Step 1: Valid only if exactly one letter differs; this step touches a combo end.

2. HERD → HEADStep 2

   R→A at the third letter (HERD → HEAD)

   HERD and HEAD are adjacent in the solved ladder — R→A at the third letter (HERD → HEAD).

   Step 2: Valid only if exactly one letter differs; middle-to-middle link.

3. HEAD → HEATStep 3

   D→T at the fourth letter (HEAD → HEAT)

   HEAD and HEAT are adjacent in the solved ladder — D→T at the fourth letter (HEAD → HEAT).

   Step 3: Valid only if exactly one letter differs; middle-to-middle link.

4. HEAT → FEATStep 4

   H→F at the first letter (HEAT → FEAT)

   HEAT and FEAT are adjacent in the solved ladder — H→F at the first letter (HEAT → FEAT).

   Step 4: Valid only if exactly one letter differs; middle-to-middle link.

5. FEAT → FESTStep 5

   A→S at the third letter (FEAT → FEST)

   FEAT and FEST are adjacent in the solved ladder — A→S at the third letter (FEAT → FEST).

   Step 5: Valid only if exactly one letter differs; middle-to-middle link.

6. FEST → FASTStep 6

   E→A at the second letter (FEST → FAST)

   FEST and FAST are adjacent in the solved ladder — E→A at the second letter (FEST → FAST).

   Step 6: Valid only if exactly one letter differs; this step touches a combo end.

After solving middles (HERD, HEAD, HEAT, FEAT, FEST), only the order HERD → HEAD → HEAT → FEAT → FEST satisfies the one-letter rule between every adjacent pair. Each step changes exactly one letter: A→E at the second letter (HARD → HERD); R→A at the third letter (HERD → HEAD); D→T at the fourth letter (HEAD → HEAT); H→F at the first letter (HEAT → FEAT); A→S at the third letter (FEAT → FEST); E→A at the second letter (FEST → FAST). Wrong permutations fail when two middles differ by two or more letters.

The combo clue "Two words that complete the idiom “a ___ and ___ rule” meaning something that is fixed and cannot easily be changed." describes both end words together — "HARD" and "FAST" each differ by one letter from their adjacent middle rungs and satisfy the shared top+bottom prompt. Top "HARD" connects to HERD via A→E at the second letter (HARD → HERD). Bottom "FAST" connects from FEST via E→A at the second letter (FEST → FAST).

The combo clue "Two words that complete the idiom “a ___ and ___ rule” meaning something that is fixed and cannot easily be changed." describes both end words together — "HARD" and "FAST" 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 HERD, HEAD, HEAT, FEAT, FEST. Middle 1: "Group of cattle" → HERD. The clue "Group of cattle" describes an action or use case that maps cleanly to the verb "HERD". Middle 2: "“Hit the nail on the ___”" → HEAD. Fill-in style clue — "HEAD" completes the pattern described in "“Hit the nail on the ___”". Middle 3: "Make warm" → HEAT. "Make warm" resolves to "HEAT" once you read the clue as a 4-letter crossword answer. Middle 4: "Impressive achievement requiring a fair amount of skill" → FEAT. "Impressive achievement requiring a fair amount of skill" resolves to "FEAT" once you read the clue as a 4-letter crossword answer. Middle 5: "Gathering or celebration (often used as a suffix, as after Oktober)" → FEST. "Gathering or celebration (often used as a suffix, as after Oktober)" resolves to "FEST" 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: HERD → HEAD → HEAT → FEAT → FEST. Ladder step: A→E at the second letter (HARD → HERD) (connects to a combo end). Ladder step: R→A at the third letter (HERD → HEAD). Ladder step: D→T at the fourth letter (HEAD → HEAT). Ladder step: H→F at the first letter (HEAT → FEAT). Ladder step: A→S at the third letter (FEAT → FEST). Ladder step: E→A at the second letter (FEST → FAST) (connects to a combo end). Phase 3: Unlock combo ends — top "HARD" and bottom "FAST" share the clue: Two words that complete the idiom “a ___ and ___ rule” meaning something that is fixed and cannot easily be changed..

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 HARD to FAST. The top and bottom rows share one combo clue: Two words that complete the idiom “a ___ and ___ rule” meaning something that is fixed and cannot easily be changed. The solution path is HARD → HERD → HEAD → HEAT → FEAT → FEST → FAST, changing exactly one letter between each rung. Middle clues include Group of cattle, “Hit the nail on the ___”, and Make warm, and others — solve these before reordering. Correct middle order: HERD → HEAD → HEAT → FEAT → FEST. The combo clue "Two words that complete the idiom “a ___ and ___ rule” meaning something that is fixed and cannot easily be changed." describes both end words together — "HARD" and "FAST" 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.