LinkedIn Crossclimb #883

LinkedIn Crossclimb #883 is the LinkedIn Crossclimb daily for September 30, 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 WILL:

FREE → FRET → FEET → FELT → FELL → FILL → WILL

Top and bottom share the combo clue: “A two-word phrase for a person's ability to make their own choices.”

1. Middle 1Warm-up clue

   FRET

   Constantly worry, or part of a guitar's neck

   Clue insight

   "Constantly worry, or part of a guitar's neck" resolves to "FRET" once you read the clue as a 4-letter crossword answer.

   Solving note

   Warm-up clue: Solve "Constantly worry, or part of a guitar's neck" without peeking at ladder order.

2. Middle 2Cross-check

   FEET

   Body parts with arches and soles

   Clue insight

   "Body parts with arches and soles" resolves to "FEET" once you read the clue as a 4-letter crossword answer.

   Solving note

   Cross-check: Solve "Body parts with arches and soles" without peeking at ladder order.

3. Middle 3Pivot answer

   FELT

   Soft surface on a billiards table

   Clue insight

   "Soft surface on a billiards table" resolves to "FELT" once you read the clue as a 4-letter crossword answer.

   Solving note

   Pivot answer: Solve "Soft surface on a billiards table" without peeking at ladder order.

4. Middle 4Verifier

   FELL

   Went to the ground, most likely accidentally

   Clue insight

   "Went to the ground, most likely accidentally" resolves to "FELL" once you read the clue as a 4-letter crossword answer.

   Solving note

   Verifier: Solve "Went to the ground, most likely accidentally" without peeking at ladder order.

5. Middle 5Final middle

   FILL

   Pour liquid into, as a glass

   Clue insight

   "Pour liquid into, as a glass" resolves to "FILL" once you read the clue as a 4-letter crossword answer.

   Solving note

   Final middle: Solve "Pour liquid into, as a glass" without peeking at ladder order.

1. FREE → FRETStep 1

   E→T at the fourth letter (FREE → FRET)

   Teaching link FREE→FRET: E→T at the fourth letter (FREE → FRET).

   Rule check 1: Students should reject pairs with 2+ letter differences.

2. FRET → FEETStep 2

   R→E at the second letter (FRET → FEET)

   Teaching link FRET→FEET: R→E at the second letter (FRET → FEET).

   Rule check 2: Students should reject pairs with 2+ letter differences.

3. FEET → FELTStep 3

   E→L at the third letter (FEET → FELT)

   Teaching link FEET→FELT: E→L at the third letter (FEET → FELT).

   Rule check 3: Students should reject pairs with 2+ letter differences.

4. FELT → FELLStep 4

   T→L at the fourth letter (FELT → FELL)

   Teaching link FELT→FELL: T→L at the fourth letter (FELT → FELL).

   Rule check 4: Students should reject pairs with 2+ letter differences.

5. FELL → FILLStep 5

   E→I at the second letter (FELL → FILL)

   Teaching link FELL→FILL: E→I at the second letter (FELL → FILL).

   Rule check 5: Students should reject pairs with 2+ letter differences.

6. FILL → WILLStep 6

   F→W at the first letter (FILL → WILL)

   Teaching link FILL→WILL: F→W at the first letter (FILL → WILL).

   Rule check 6: Students should reject pairs with 2+ letter differences.

Teach students to test pairs: FRET → FEET → FELT → FELL → FILL works because FREE→FRET, FRET→FEET, FEET→FELT, FELT→FELL, FELL→FILL, FILL→WILL each differ by one letter only.

Endgame: combo clue "A two-word phrase for a person's ability to make their own choices." describes both FREE and WILL. Unlock only after ladder ordering passes every one-letter check.

The combo clue "A two-word phrase for a person's ability to make their own choices." describes both end words together — "FREE" and "WILL" 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 FRET, FEET, FELT, FELL, FILL. Middle 1: "Constantly worry, or part of a guitar's neck" → FRET. "Constantly worry, or part of a guitar's neck" resolves to "FRET" once you read the clue as a 4-letter crossword answer. Middle 2: "Body parts with arches and soles" → FEET. "Body parts with arches and soles" resolves to "FEET" once you read the clue as a 4-letter crossword answer. Middle 3: "Soft surface on a billiards table" → FELT. "Soft surface on a billiards table" resolves to "FELT" once you read the clue as a 4-letter crossword answer. Middle 4: "Went to the ground, most likely accidentally" → FELL. "Went to the ground, most likely accidentally" resolves to "FELL" once you read the clue as a 4-letter crossword answer. Middle 5: "Pour liquid into, as a glass" → FILL. "Pour liquid into, as a glass" resolves to "FILL" 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: FRET → FEET → FELT → FELL → FILL. Ladder step: E→T at the fourth letter (FREE → FRET) (connects to a combo end). Ladder step: R→E at the second letter (FRET → FEET). Ladder step: E→L at the third letter (FEET → FELT). Ladder step: T→L at the fourth letter (FELT → FELL). Ladder step: E→I at the second letter (FELL → FILL). Ladder step: F→W at the first letter (FILL → WILL) (connects to a combo end). Phase 3: Unlock combo ends — top "FREE" and bottom "WILL" share the clue: A two-word phrase for a person's ability to make their own choices..

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 WILL. The top and bottom rows share one combo clue: A two-word phrase for a person's ability to make their own choices. The solution path is FREE → FRET → FEET → FELT → FELL → FILL → WILL, changing exactly one letter between each rung. Middle clues include Constantly worry, or part of a guitar's neck, Body parts with arches and soles, and Soft surface on a billiards table, and others — solve these before reordering. Correct middle order: FRET → FEET → FELT → FELL → FILL. The combo clue "A two-word phrase for a person's ability to make their own choices." describes both end words together — "FREE" and "WILL" 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.