LinkedIn Crossclimb #882

LinkedIn Crossclimb #882 is the LinkedIn Crossclimb daily for September 29, 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 FLIP to FLOP:

FLIP → SLIP → SLIT → SLOT → SLOW → FLOW → FLOP

Top and bottom share the combo clue: “A hyphenated word for an open-toed item of footwear.”

1. Middle 1Exhibit A

   SLIP

   Lose one's footing

   Clue insight

   Exhibit A — "Lose one's footing" → SLIP. "Lose one's footing" resolves to "SLIP" 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

   SLIT

   Extremely narrow opening

   Clue insight

   Exhibit B — "Extremely narrow opening" → SLIT. "Extremely narrow opening" resolves to "SLIT" 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

   SLOT

   Narrow opening

   Clue insight

   Exhibit C — "Narrow opening" → SLOT. "Narrow opening" resolves to "SLOT" 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

   SLOW

   Lacking speed

   Clue insight

   Exhibit D — "Lacking speed" → SLOW. "Lacking speed" resolves to "SLOW" 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

   FLOW

   Movement of water or air

   Clue insight

   Exhibit E — "Movement of water or air" → FLOW. "Movement of water or air" resolves to "FLOW" 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. FLIP → SLIPStep 1

   F→S at the first letter (FLIP → SLIP)

   Link A: F→S at the first letter (FLIP → SLIP).

   Combo-adjacent link — confirms end word placement.

2. SLIP → SLITStep 2

   P→T at the fourth letter (SLIP → SLIT)

   Link B: P→T at the fourth letter (SLIP → SLIT).

   Middle chain link — ordering constraint.

3. SLIT → SLOTStep 3

   I→O at the third letter (SLIT → SLOT)

   Link C: I→O at the third letter (SLIT → SLOT).

   Middle chain link — ordering constraint.

4. SLOT → SLOWStep 4

   T→W at the fourth letter (SLOT → SLOW)

   Link D: T→W at the fourth letter (SLOT → SLOW).

   Middle chain link — ordering constraint.

5. SLOW → FLOWStep 5

   S→F at the first letter (SLOW → FLOW)

   Link E: S→F at the first letter (SLOW → FLOW).

   Middle chain link — ordering constraint.

6. FLOW → FLOPStep 6

   W→P at the fourth letter (FLOW → FLOP)

   Link F: W→P at the fourth letter (FLOW → FLOP).

   Combo-adjacent link — confirms end word placement.

The evidence supports middle order SLIP → SLIT → SLOT → SLOW → FLOW. Alternative permutations break the one-letter adjacency rule unless an answer is wrong.

Final exhibits: FLIP (top combo) and FLOP (bottom combo). Shared prompt: "A hyphenated word for an open-toed item of footwear.".

The combo clue "A hyphenated word for an open-toed item of footwear." describes both end words together — "FLIP" and "FLOP" 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 SLIP, SLIT, SLOT, SLOW, FLOW. Middle 1: "Lose one's footing" → SLIP. "Lose one's footing" resolves to "SLIP" once you read the clue as a 4-letter crossword answer. Middle 2: "Extremely narrow opening" → SLIT. "Extremely narrow opening" resolves to "SLIT" once you read the clue as a 4-letter crossword answer. Middle 3: "Narrow opening" → SLOT. "Narrow opening" resolves to "SLOT" once you read the clue as a 4-letter crossword answer. Middle 4: "Lacking speed" → SLOW. "Lacking speed" resolves to "SLOW" once you read the clue as a 4-letter crossword answer. Middle 5: "Movement of water or air" → FLOW. "Movement of water or air" resolves to "FLOW" 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: SLIP → SLIT → SLOT → SLOW → FLOW. Ladder step: F→S at the first letter (FLIP → SLIP) (connects to a combo end). Ladder step: P→T at the fourth letter (SLIP → SLIT). Ladder step: I→O at the third letter (SLIT → SLOT). Ladder step: T→W at the fourth letter (SLOT → SLOW). Ladder step: S→F at the first letter (SLOW → FLOW). Ladder step: W→P at the fourth letter (FLOW → FLOP) (connects to a combo end). Phase 3: Unlock combo ends — top "FLIP" and bottom "FLOP" share the clue: A hyphenated word for an open-toed item of footwear..

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 FLIP to FLOP. The top and bottom rows share one combo clue: A hyphenated word for an open-toed item of footwear. The solution path is FLIP → SLIP → SLIT → SLOT → SLOW → FLOW → FLOP, changing exactly one letter between each rung. Middle clues include Lose one's footing, Extremely narrow opening, and Narrow opening, and others — solve these before reordering. Correct middle order: SLIP → SLIT → SLOT → SLOW → FLOW. The combo clue "A hyphenated word for an open-toed item of footwear." describes both end words together — "FLIP" and "FLOP" 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.