LinkedIn Crossclimb #879

LinkedIn Crossclimb #879 is the LinkedIn Crossclimb daily for September 26, 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 CLEAN to SWEEP:

CLEAN → CLEAT → CHEAT → CHEAP → CHEEP → SHEEP → SWEEP

Top and bottom share the combo clue: “A two-word phrase for victory in every part of a competition.”

1. Middle 1Sample 1

   CLEAT

   Spike in a World Cup player's footwear

   Clue insight

   Sample 1: Spike in a World Cup player's footwear = CLEAT

   Solving note

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

2. Middle 2Sample 2

   CHEAT

   Peek at a classmate's test, say

   Clue insight

   Sample 2: Peek at a classmate's test, say = CHEAT

   Solving note

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

3. Middle 3Sample 3

   CHEAP

   Crude and unimaginative, as a trick

   Clue insight

   Sample 3: Crude and unimaginative, as a trick = CHEAP

   Solving note

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

4. Middle 4Sample 4

   CHEEP

   Little sound from a nest

   Clue insight

   Sample 4: Little sound from a nest = CHEEP

   Solving note

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

5. Middle 5Sample 5

   SHEEP

   Animals often herded by dogs

   Clue insight

   Sample 5: Animals often herded by dogs = SHEEP

   Solving note

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

1. CLEAN → CLEATStep 1

   N→T at the fifth letter (CLEAN → CLEAT)

   Transition 1 N→T at the fifth letter (CLEAN → CLEAT)

   Combo boundary transition.

2. CLEAT → CHEATStep 2

   L→H at the second letter (CLEAT → CHEAT)

   Transition 2 L→H at the second letter (CLEAT → CHEAT)

   Interior ladder transition.

3. CHEAT → CHEAPStep 3

   T→P at the fifth letter (CHEAT → CHEAP)

   Transition 3 T→P at the fifth letter (CHEAT → CHEAP)

   Interior ladder transition.

4. CHEAP → CHEEPStep 4

   A→E at the fourth letter (CHEAP → CHEEP)

   Transition 4 A→E at the fourth letter (CHEAP → CHEEP)

   Interior ladder transition.

5. CHEEP → SHEEPStep 5

   C→S at the first letter (CHEEP → SHEEP)

   Transition 5 C→S at the first letter (CHEEP → SHEEP)

   Interior ladder transition.

6. SHEEP → SWEEPStep 6

   H→W at the second letter (SHEEP → SWEEP)

   Transition 6 H→W at the second letter (SHEEP → SWEEP)

   Combo boundary transition.

Optimal order: CLEAT → CHEAT → CHEAP → CHEEP → SHEEP. 1 valid permutation(s) from 5 middles. Unique ordering.

Combo classification: "A two-word phrase for victory in every part of a competition." → endpoints CLEAN, SWEEP.

The combo clue "A two-word phrase for victory in every part of a competition." describes both end words together — "CLEAN" and "SWEEP" 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 CLEAT, CHEAT, CHEAP, CHEEP, SHEEP. Middle 1: "Spike in a World Cup player's footwear" → CLEAT. "Spike in a World Cup player's footwear" resolves to "CLEAT" once you read the clue as a 5-letter crossword answer. Middle 2: "Peek at a classmate's test, say" → CHEAT. "Peek at a classmate's test, say" resolves to "CHEAT" once you read the clue as a 5-letter crossword answer. Middle 3: "Crude and unimaginative, as a trick" → CHEAP. "Crude and unimaginative, as a trick" resolves to "CHEAP" once you read the clue as a 5-letter crossword answer. Middle 4: "Little sound from a nest" → CHEEP. "Little sound from a nest" resolves to "CHEEP" once you read the clue as a 5-letter crossword answer. Middle 5: "Animals often herded by dogs" → SHEEP. "Animals often herded by dogs" resolves to "SHEEP" 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: CLEAT → CHEAT → CHEAP → CHEEP → SHEEP. Ladder step: N→T at the fifth letter (CLEAN → CLEAT) (connects to a combo end). Ladder step: L→H at the second letter (CLEAT → CHEAT). Ladder step: T→P at the fifth letter (CHEAT → CHEAP). Ladder step: A→E at the fourth letter (CHEAP → CHEEP). Ladder step: C→S at the first letter (CHEEP → SHEEP). Ladder step: H→W at the second letter (SHEEP → SWEEP) (connects to a combo end). Phase 3: Unlock combo ends — top "CLEAN" and bottom "SWEEP" share the clue: A two-word phrase for victory in every part of a competition..

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 CLEAN to SWEEP. The top and bottom rows share one combo clue: A two-word phrase for victory in every part of a competition. The solution path is CLEAN → CLEAT → CHEAT → CHEAP → CHEEP → SHEEP → SWEEP, changing exactly one letter between each rung. Middle clues include Spike in a World Cup player's footwear, Peek at a classmate's test, say, and Crude and unimaginative, as a trick, and others — solve these before reordering. Correct middle order: CLEAT → CHEAT → CHEAP → CHEEP → SHEEP. The combo clue "A two-word phrase for victory in every part of a competition." describes both end words together — "CLEAN" and "SWEEP" 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.