LinkedIn Crossclimb #893

LinkedIn Crossclimb #893 is the LinkedIn Crossclimb daily for October 10, 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 LOIS to LANE:

LOIS → LOBS → LABS → CABS → CANS → CANE → LANE

Top and bottom share the combo clue: “The first and last name of Superman's main love interest.”

1. Middle 1Warm-up clue

   LOBS

   High shots, in tennis

   Clue insight

   "High shots, in tennis" resolves to "LOBS" once you read the clue as a 4-letter crossword answer.

   Solving note

   Warm-up clue: Solve "High shots, in tennis" without peeking at ladder order.

2. Middle 2Cross-check

   LABS

   Places for science experiments

   Clue insight

   "Places for science experiments" resolves to "LABS" once you read the clue as a 4-letter crossword answer.

   Solving note

   Cross-check: Solve "Places for science experiments" without peeking at ladder order.

3. Middle 3Pivot answer

   CABS

   Some hired rides, for short

   Clue insight

   "Some hired rides, for short" resolves to "CABS" once you read the clue as a 4-letter crossword answer.

   Solving note

   Pivot answer: Solve "Some hired rides, for short" without peeking at ladder order.

4. Middle 4Verifier

   CANS

   Cylindrical containers

   Clue insight

   "Cylindrical containers" resolves to "CANS" once you read the clue as a 4-letter crossword answer.

   Solving note

   Verifier: Solve "Cylindrical containers" without peeking at ladder order.

5. Middle 5Final middle

   CANE

   Walking aid

   Clue insight

   "Walking aid" resolves to "CANE" once you read the clue as a 4-letter crossword answer.

   Solving note

   Final middle: Solve "Walking aid" without peeking at ladder order.

1. LOIS → LOBSStep 1

   I→B at the third letter (LOIS → LOBS)

   Teaching link LOIS→LOBS: I→B at the third letter (LOIS → LOBS).

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

2. LOBS → LABSStep 2

   O→A at the second letter (LOBS → LABS)

   Teaching link LOBS→LABS: O→A at the second letter (LOBS → LABS).

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

3. LABS → CABSStep 3

   L→C at the first letter (LABS → CABS)

   Teaching link LABS→CABS: L→C at the first letter (LABS → CABS).

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

4. CABS → CANSStep 4

   B→N at the third letter (CABS → CANS)

   Teaching link CABS→CANS: B→N at the third letter (CABS → CANS).

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

5. CANS → CANEStep 5

   S→E at the fourth letter (CANS → CANE)

   Teaching link CANS→CANE: S→E at the fourth letter (CANS → CANE).

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

6. CANE → LANEStep 6

   C→L at the first letter (CANE → LANE)

   Teaching link CANE→LANE: C→L at the first letter (CANE → LANE).

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

Teach students to test pairs: LOBS → LABS → CABS → CANS → CANE works because LOIS→LOBS, LOBS→LABS, LABS→CABS, CABS→CANS, CANS→CANE, CANE→LANE each differ by one letter only.

Endgame: combo clue "The first and last name of Superman's main love interest." describes both LOIS and LANE. Unlock only after ladder ordering passes every one-letter check.

The combo clue "The first and last name of Superman's main love interest." describes both end words together — "LOIS" and "LANE" 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 LOBS, LABS, CABS, CANS, CANE. Middle 1: "High shots, in tennis" → LOBS. "High shots, in tennis" resolves to "LOBS" once you read the clue as a 4-letter crossword answer. Middle 2: "Places for science experiments" → LABS. "Places for science experiments" resolves to "LABS" once you read the clue as a 4-letter crossword answer. Middle 3: "Some hired rides, for short" → CABS. "Some hired rides, for short" resolves to "CABS" once you read the clue as a 4-letter crossword answer. Middle 4: "Cylindrical containers" → CANS. "Cylindrical containers" resolves to "CANS" once you read the clue as a 4-letter crossword answer. Middle 5: "Walking aid" → CANE. "Walking aid" resolves to "CANE" 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: LOBS → LABS → CABS → CANS → CANE. Ladder step: I→B at the third letter (LOIS → LOBS) (connects to a combo end). Ladder step: O→A at the second letter (LOBS → LABS). Ladder step: L→C at the first letter (LABS → CABS). Ladder step: B→N at the third letter (CABS → CANS). Ladder step: S→E at the fourth letter (CANS → CANE). Ladder step: C→L at the first letter (CANE → LANE) (connects to a combo end). Phase 3: Unlock combo ends — top "LOIS" and bottom "LANE" share the clue: The first and last name of Superman's main love interest..

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 LOIS to LANE. The top and bottom rows share one combo clue: The first and last name of Superman's main love interest. The solution path is LOIS → LOBS → LABS → CABS → CANS → CANE → LANE, changing exactly one letter between each rung. Middle clues include High shots, in tennis, Places for science experiments, and Some hired rides, for short, and others — solve these before reordering. Correct middle order: LOBS → LABS → CABS → CANS → CANE. The combo clue "The first and last name of Superman's main love interest." describes both end words together — "LOIS" and "LANE" 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.