LinkedIn Crossclimb #876

LinkedIn Crossclimb #876 is the LinkedIn Crossclimb daily for September 23, 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 FREE to HAND:

FREE → FRED → FEED → FEND → BEND → BAND → HAND

Top and bottom share the combo clue: “Compound word that describes drawing without the help of mechanical devices.”

1. Middle 1First middle

   FRED

   Cartoon Flintstone who said "Yabba-dabba-doo!"

   Clue insight

   I read "Cartoon Flintstone who said "Yabba-dabba-doo!"" and write FRED. "Cartoon Flintstone who said "Yabba-dabba-doo!"" resolves to "FRED" once you read the clue as a 4-letter crossword answer.

   Solving note

   First middle: Lock this before reordering middles.

2. Middle 2Second middle

   FEED

   Serve a meal to

   Clue insight

   I read "Serve a meal to" and write FEED. "Serve a meal to" resolves to "FEED" once you read the clue as a 4-letter crossword answer.

   Solving note

   Second middle: Lock this before reordering middles.

3. Middle 3Third middle

   FEND

   ___ for yourself (get what you need without help)

   Clue insight

   I read "___ for yourself (get what you need without help)" and write FEND. Fill-in style clue — "FEND" completes the pattern described in "___ for yourself (get what you need without help)".

   Solving note

   Third middle: Lock this before reordering middles.

4. Middle 4Fourth middle

   BEND

   Flex, like an elbow or knee

   Clue insight

   I read "Flex, like an elbow or knee" and write BEND. "Flex, like an elbow or knee" resolves to "BEND" once you read the clue as a 4-letter crossword answer.

   Solving note

   Fourth middle: Lock this before reordering middles.

5. Middle 5Fifth middle

   BAND

   Musical group

   Clue insight

   I read "Musical group" and write BAND. "Musical group" resolves to "BAND" once you read the clue as a 4-letter crossword answer.

   Solving note

   Fifth middle: Lock this before reordering middles.

1. FREE → FREDStep 1

   E→D at the fourth letter (FREE → FRED)

   I check FREE → FRED: E→D at the fourth letter (FREE → FRED).

   First link: Consonant swap — keep the chain tight.

2. FRED → FEEDStep 2

   R→E at the second letter (FRED → FEED)

   I check FRED → FEED: R→E at the second letter (FRED → FEED).

   Second link: Consonant swap — keep the chain tight.

3. FEED → FENDStep 3

   E→N at the third letter (FEED → FEND)

   I check FEED → FEND: E→N at the third letter (FEED → FEND).

   Third link: Consonant swap — keep the chain tight.

4. FEND → BENDStep 4

   F→B at the first letter (FEND → BEND)

   I check FEND → BEND: F→B at the first letter (FEND → BEND).

   Fourth link: Consonant swap — keep the chain tight.

5. BEND → BANDStep 5

   E→A at the second letter (BEND → BAND)

   I check BEND → BAND: E→A at the second letter (BEND → BAND).

   Fifth link: Vowel swap — keep the chain tight.

6. BAND → HANDStep 6

   B→H at the first letter (BAND → HAND)

   I check BAND → HAND: B→H at the first letter (BAND → HAND).

   Sixth link: Consonant swap — keep the chain tight.

I arrange middles as FRED → FEED → FEND → BEND → BAND because that's the chain where every hop changes one letter. 6 links checked — E→D at the fourth letter (FREE → FRED) through B→H at the first letter (BAND → HAND).

Combo clue "Compound word that describes drawing without the help of mechanical devices." — I only fill FREE and HAND after middles order cleanly. The pair should read naturally against the clue.

The combo clue "Compound word that describes drawing without the help of mechanical devices." describes both end words together — "FREE" and "HAND" 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 FRED, FEED, FEND, BEND, BAND. Middle 1: "Cartoon Flintstone who said "Yabba-dabba-doo!"" → FRED. "Cartoon Flintstone who said "Yabba-dabba-doo!"" resolves to "FRED" once you read the clue as a 4-letter crossword answer. Middle 2: "Serve a meal to" → FEED. "Serve a meal to" resolves to "FEED" once you read the clue as a 4-letter crossword answer. Middle 3: "___ for yourself (get what you need without help)" → FEND. Fill-in style clue — "FEND" completes the pattern described in "___ for yourself (get what you need without help)". Middle 4: "Flex, like an elbow or knee" → BEND. "Flex, like an elbow or knee" resolves to "BEND" once you read the clue as a 4-letter crossword answer. Middle 5: "Musical group" → BAND. "Musical group" resolves to "BAND" 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: FRED → FEED → FEND → BEND → BAND. Ladder step: E→D at the fourth letter (FREE → FRED) (connects to a combo end). Ladder step: R→E at the second letter (FRED → FEED). Ladder step: E→N at the third letter (FEED → FEND). Ladder step: F→B at the first letter (FEND → BEND). Ladder step: E→A at the second letter (BEND → BAND). Ladder step: B→H at the first letter (BAND → HAND) (connects to a combo end). Phase 3: Unlock combo ends — top "FREE" and bottom "HAND" share the clue: Compound word that describes drawing without the help of mechanical devices..

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 FREE to HAND. The top and bottom rows share one combo clue: Compound word that describes drawing without the help of mechanical devices. The solution path is FREE → FRED → FEED → FEND → BEND → BAND → HAND, changing exactly one letter between each rung. Middle clues include Cartoon Flintstone who said "Yabba-dabba-doo!", Serve a meal to, and ___ for yourself (get what you need without help), and others — solve these before reordering. Correct middle order: FRED → FEED → FEND → BEND → BAND. The combo clue "Compound word that describes drawing without the help of mechanical devices." describes both end words together — "FREE" and "HAND" 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.