LinkedIn Crossclimb #892

LinkedIn Crossclimb #892 is the LinkedIn Crossclimb daily for October 9, 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 HALF to NOTE:

HALF → HALE → HARE → DARE → DATE → DOTE → NOTE

Top and bottom share the combo clue: “A two-word phrase for something that lasts for two beats in a piece of music in 4/4 time.”

1. Middle 1Exhibit A

   HALE

   ___ and hearty (in good physical condition)

   Clue insight

   Exhibit A — "___ and hearty (in good physical condition)" → HALE. Fill-in style clue — "HALE" completes the pattern described in "___ and hearty (in good physical condition)".

   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

   HARE

   Long-eared animal related to the rabbit

   Clue insight

   Exhibit B — "Long-eared animal related to the rabbit" → HARE. "Long-eared animal related to the rabbit" resolves to "HARE" 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

   DARE

   Challenge to do something risky

   Clue insight

   Exhibit C — "Challenge to do something risky" → DARE. "Challenge to do something risky" resolves to "DARE" 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

   DATE

   10/10/26, for example

   Clue insight

   Exhibit D — "10/10/26, for example" → DATE. "10/10/26, for example" resolves to "DATE" 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

   DOTE

   Lavish affection (on)

   Clue insight

   Exhibit E — "Lavish affection (on)" → DOTE. "Lavish affection (on)" resolves to "DOTE" 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. HALF → HALEStep 1

   F→E at the fourth letter (HALF → HALE)

   Link A: F→E at the fourth letter (HALF → HALE).

   Combo-adjacent link — confirms end word placement.

2. HALE → HAREStep 2

   L→R at the third letter (HALE → HARE)

   Link B: L→R at the third letter (HALE → HARE).

   Middle chain link — ordering constraint.

3. HARE → DAREStep 3

   H→D at the first letter (HARE → DARE)

   Link C: H→D at the first letter (HARE → DARE).

   Middle chain link — ordering constraint.

4. DARE → DATEStep 4

   R→T at the third letter (DARE → DATE)

   Link D: R→T at the third letter (DARE → DATE).

   Middle chain link — ordering constraint.

5. DATE → DOTEStep 5

   A→O at the second letter (DATE → DOTE)

   Link E: A→O at the second letter (DATE → DOTE).

   Middle chain link — ordering constraint.

6. DOTE → NOTEStep 6

   D→N at the first letter (DOTE → NOTE)

   Link F: D→N at the first letter (DOTE → NOTE).

   Combo-adjacent link — confirms end word placement.

The evidence supports middle order HALE → HARE → DARE → DATE → DOTE. Alternative permutations break the one-letter adjacency rule unless an answer is wrong.

Final exhibits: HALF (top combo) and NOTE (bottom combo). Shared prompt: "A two-word phrase for something that lasts for two beats in a piece of music in 4/4 time.".

The combo clue "A two-word phrase for something that lasts for two beats in a piece of music in 4/4 time." describes both end words together — "HALF" and "NOTE" 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 HALE, HARE, DARE, DATE, DOTE. Middle 1: "___ and hearty (in good physical condition)" → HALE. Fill-in style clue — "HALE" completes the pattern described in "___ and hearty (in good physical condition)". Middle 2: "Long-eared animal related to the rabbit" → HARE. "Long-eared animal related to the rabbit" resolves to "HARE" once you read the clue as a 4-letter crossword answer. Middle 3: "Challenge to do something risky" → DARE. "Challenge to do something risky" resolves to "DARE" once you read the clue as a 4-letter crossword answer. Middle 4: "10/10/26, for example" → DATE. "10/10/26, for example" resolves to "DATE" once you read the clue as a 4-letter crossword answer. Middle 5: "Lavish affection (on)" → DOTE. "Lavish affection (on)" resolves to "DOTE" 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: HALE → HARE → DARE → DATE → DOTE. Ladder step: F→E at the fourth letter (HALF → HALE) (connects to a combo end). Ladder step: L→R at the third letter (HALE → HARE). Ladder step: H→D at the first letter (HARE → DARE). Ladder step: R→T at the third letter (DARE → DATE). Ladder step: A→O at the second letter (DATE → DOTE). Ladder step: D→N at the first letter (DOTE → NOTE) (connects to a combo end). Phase 3: Unlock combo ends — top "HALF" and bottom "NOTE" share the clue: A two-word phrase for something that lasts for two beats in a piece of music in 4/4 time..

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 HALF to NOTE. The top and bottom rows share one combo clue: A two-word phrase for something that lasts for two beats in a piece of music in 4/4 time. The solution path is HALF → HALE → HARE → DARE → DATE → DOTE → NOTE, changing exactly one letter between each rung. Middle clues include ___ and hearty (in good physical condition), Long-eared animal related to the rabbit, and Challenge to do something risky, and others — solve these before reordering. Correct middle order: HALE → HARE → DARE → DATE → DOTE. The combo clue "A two-word phrase for something that lasts for two beats in a piece of music in 4/4 time." describes both end words together — "HALF" and "NOTE" 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.