LinkedIn Crossclimb #872

LinkedIn Crossclimb #872 is the LinkedIn Crossclimb daily for September 19, 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 LIFE to BUOY:

LIFE → LIFT → LIST → LUST → BUST → BUSY → BUOY

Top and bottom share the combo clue: “A compound word for a rescue item on a ship.”

1. Middle 1Exhibit A

   LIFT

   Another word for what's called an elevator in North America

   Clue insight

   Exhibit A — "Another word for what's called an elevator in North America" → LIFT. "Another word for what's called an elevator in North America" resolves to "LIFT" once you read the clue as a 4-letter crossword answer.

   Solving note

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

2. Middle 2Exhibit B

   LIST

   You might make one for a shopping trip

   Clue insight

   Exhibit B — "You might make one for a shopping trip" → LIST. "You might make one for a shopping trip" resolves to "LIST" once you read the clue as a 4-letter crossword answer.

   Solving note

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

3. Middle 3Exhibit C

   LUST

   One of the seven deadly sins

   Clue insight

   Exhibit C — "One of the seven deadly sins" → LUST. "One of the seven deadly sins" resolves to "LUST" once you read the clue as a 4-letter crossword answer.

   Solving note

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

4. Middle 4Exhibit D

   BUST

   Sculpture of the upper part of the body

   Clue insight

   Exhibit D — "Sculpture of the upper part of the body" → BUST. "Sculpture of the upper part of the body" resolves to "BUST" once you read the clue as a 4-letter crossword answer.

   Solving note

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

5. Middle 5Exhibit E

   BUSY

   Having lots of things going on

   Clue insight

   Exhibit E — "Having lots of things going on" → BUSY. "Having lots of things going on" resolves to "BUSY" once you read the clue as a 4-letter crossword answer.

   Solving note

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

1. LIFE → LIFTStep 1

   E→T at the fourth letter (LIFE → LIFT)

   Link A: E→T at the fourth letter (LIFE → LIFT).

   Combo-adjacent link — confirms end word placement.

2. LIFT → LISTStep 2

   F→S at the third letter (LIFT → LIST)

   Link B: F→S at the third letter (LIFT → LIST).

   Middle chain link — ordering constraint.

3. LIST → LUSTStep 3

   I→U at the second letter (LIST → LUST)

   Link C: I→U at the second letter (LIST → LUST).

   Middle chain link — ordering constraint.

4. LUST → BUSTStep 4

   L→B at the first letter (LUST → BUST)

   Link D: L→B at the first letter (LUST → BUST).

   Middle chain link — ordering constraint.

5. BUST → BUSYStep 5

   T→Y at the fourth letter (BUST → BUSY)

   Link E: T→Y at the fourth letter (BUST → BUSY).

   Middle chain link — ordering constraint.

6. BUSY → BUOYStep 6

   S→O at the third letter (BUSY → BUOY)

   Link F: S→O at the third letter (BUSY → BUOY).

   Combo-adjacent link — confirms end word placement.

The evidence supports middle order LIFT → LIST → LUST → BUST → BUSY. Alternative permutations break the one-letter adjacency rule unless an answer is wrong.

Final exhibits: LIFE (top combo) and BUOY (bottom combo). Shared prompt: "A compound word for a rescue item on a ship.".

The combo clue "A compound word for a rescue item on a ship." describes both end words together — "LIFE" and "BUOY" 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 LIFT, LIST, LUST, BUST, BUSY. Middle 1: "Another word for what's called an elevator in North America" → LIFT. "Another word for what's called an elevator in North America" resolves to "LIFT" once you read the clue as a 4-letter crossword answer. Middle 2: "You might make one for a shopping trip" → LIST. "You might make one for a shopping trip" resolves to "LIST" once you read the clue as a 4-letter crossword answer. Middle 3: "One of the seven deadly sins" → LUST. "One of the seven deadly sins" resolves to "LUST" once you read the clue as a 4-letter crossword answer. Middle 4: "Sculpture of the upper part of the body" → BUST. "Sculpture of the upper part of the body" resolves to "BUST" once you read the clue as a 4-letter crossword answer. Middle 5: "Having lots of things going on" → BUSY. "Having lots of things going on" resolves to "BUSY" 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: LIFT → LIST → LUST → BUST → BUSY. Ladder step: E→T at the fourth letter (LIFE → LIFT) (connects to a combo end). Ladder step: F→S at the third letter (LIFT → LIST). Ladder step: I→U at the second letter (LIST → LUST). Ladder step: L→B at the first letter (LUST → BUST). Ladder step: T→Y at the fourth letter (BUST → BUSY). Ladder step: S→O at the third letter (BUSY → BUOY) (connects to a combo end). Phase 3: Unlock combo ends — top "LIFE" and bottom "BUOY" share the clue: A compound word for a rescue item on a ship..

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 LIFE to BUOY. The top and bottom rows share one combo clue: A compound word for a rescue item on a ship. The solution path is LIFE → LIFT → LIST → LUST → BUST → BUSY → BUOY, changing exactly one letter between each rung. Middle clues include Another word for what's called an elevator in North America, You might make one for a shopping trip, and One of the seven deadly sins, and others — solve these before reordering. Correct middle order: LIFT → LIST → LUST → BUST → BUSY. The combo clue "A compound word for a rescue item on a ship." describes both end words together — "LIFE" and "BUOY" 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.