LinkedIn Crossclimb #898

LinkedIn Crossclimb #898 is the LinkedIn Crossclimb daily for October 15, 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 FOLK to ROCK:

FOLK → FOLD → FOOD → HOOD → HOOK → ROOK → ROCK

Top and bottom share the combo clue: “A two-word phrase for a music genre that often features acoustic guitars and socially conscious lyrics.”

1. Middle 1Warm-up clue

   FOLD

   Drop out of a poker hand

   Clue insight

   "Drop out of a poker hand" resolves to "FOLD" once you read the clue as a 4-letter crossword answer.

   Solving note

   Warm-up clue: Solve "Drop out of a poker hand" without peeking at ladder order.

2. Middle 2Cross-check

   FOOD

   What many farms generate

   Clue insight

   "What many farms generate" resolves to "FOOD" once you read the clue as a 4-letter crossword answer.

   Solving note

   Cross-check: Solve "What many farms generate" without peeking at ladder order.

3. Middle 3Pivot answer

   HOOD

   Robin ___ (legendary outlaw)

   Clue insight

   Fill-in style clue — "HOOD" completes the pattern described in "Robin ___ (legendary outlaw)".

   Solving note

   Pivot answer: Solve "Robin ___ (legendary outlaw)" without peeking at ladder order.

4. Middle 4Verifier

   HOOK

   It's at the end of a fishing line

   Clue insight

   "It's at the end of a fishing line" resolves to "HOOK" once you read the clue as a 4-letter crossword answer.

   Solving note

   Verifier: Solve "It's at the end of a fishing line" without peeking at ladder order.

5. Middle 5Final middle

   ROOK

   Game piece that moves up and down and side to side, but not diagonally

   Clue insight

   "Game piece that moves up and down and side to side, but not diagonally" resolves to "ROOK" once you read the clue as a 4-letter crossword answer.

   Solving note

   Final middle: Solve "Game piece that moves up and down and side to side, but not diagonally" without peeking at ladder order.

1. FOLK → FOLDStep 1

   K→D at the fourth letter (FOLK → FOLD)

   Teaching link FOLK→FOLD: K→D at the fourth letter (FOLK → FOLD).

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

2. FOLD → FOODStep 2

   L→O at the third letter (FOLD → FOOD)

   Teaching link FOLD→FOOD: L→O at the third letter (FOLD → FOOD).

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

3. FOOD → HOODStep 3

   F→H at the first letter (FOOD → HOOD)

   Teaching link FOOD→HOOD: F→H at the first letter (FOOD → HOOD).

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

4. HOOD → HOOKStep 4

   D→K at the fourth letter (HOOD → HOOK)

   Teaching link HOOD→HOOK: D→K at the fourth letter (HOOD → HOOK).

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

5. HOOK → ROOKStep 5

   H→R at the first letter (HOOK → ROOK)

   Teaching link HOOK→ROOK: H→R at the first letter (HOOK → ROOK).

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

6. ROOK → ROCKStep 6

   O→C at the third letter (ROOK → ROCK)

   Teaching link ROOK→ROCK: O→C at the third letter (ROOK → ROCK).

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

Teach students to test pairs: FOLD → FOOD → HOOD → HOOK → ROOK works because FOLK→FOLD, FOLD→FOOD, FOOD→HOOD, HOOD→HOOK, HOOK→ROOK, ROOK→ROCK each differ by one letter only.

Endgame: combo clue "A two-word phrase for a music genre that often features acoustic guitars and socially conscious lyrics." describes both FOLK and ROCK. Unlock only after ladder ordering passes every one-letter check.

The combo clue "A two-word phrase for a music genre that often features acoustic guitars and socially conscious lyrics." describes both end words together — "FOLK" and "ROCK" 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 FOLD, FOOD, HOOD, HOOK, ROOK. Middle 1: "Drop out of a poker hand" → FOLD. "Drop out of a poker hand" resolves to "FOLD" once you read the clue as a 4-letter crossword answer. Middle 2: "What many farms generate" → FOOD. "What many farms generate" resolves to "FOOD" once you read the clue as a 4-letter crossword answer. Middle 3: "Robin ___ (legendary outlaw)" → HOOD. Fill-in style clue — "HOOD" completes the pattern described in "Robin ___ (legendary outlaw)". Middle 4: "It's at the end of a fishing line" → HOOK. "It's at the end of a fishing line" resolves to "HOOK" once you read the clue as a 4-letter crossword answer. Middle 5: "Game piece that moves up and down and side to side, but not diagonally" → ROOK. "Game piece that moves up and down and side to side, but not diagonally" resolves to "ROOK" 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: FOLD → FOOD → HOOD → HOOK → ROOK. Ladder step: K→D at the fourth letter (FOLK → FOLD) (connects to a combo end). Ladder step: L→O at the third letter (FOLD → FOOD). Ladder step: F→H at the first letter (FOOD → HOOD). Ladder step: D→K at the fourth letter (HOOD → HOOK). Ladder step: H→R at the first letter (HOOK → ROOK). Ladder step: O→C at the third letter (ROOK → ROCK) (connects to a combo end). Phase 3: Unlock combo ends — top "FOLK" and bottom "ROCK" share the clue: A two-word phrase for a music genre that often features acoustic guitars and socially conscious lyrics..

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 FOLK to ROCK. The top and bottom rows share one combo clue: A two-word phrase for a music genre that often features acoustic guitars and socially conscious lyrics. The solution path is FOLK → FOLD → FOOD → HOOD → HOOK → ROOK → ROCK, changing exactly one letter between each rung. Middle clues include Drop out of a poker hand, What many farms generate, and Robin ___ (legendary outlaw), and others — solve these before reordering. Correct middle order: FOLD → FOOD → HOOD → HOOK → ROOK. The combo clue "A two-word phrase for a music genre that often features acoustic guitars and socially conscious lyrics." describes both end words together — "FOLK" and "ROCK" 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.