LinkedIn Crossclimb #903

LinkedIn Crossclimb #903 is the LinkedIn Crossclimb daily for October 20, 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 HACK to LEAK:

HACK → HARK → HARD → HERD → HEAD → LEAD → LEAK

Top and bottom share the combo clue: “Two ways data might become public when it shouldn't be.”

1. Middle 1Warm-up clue

   HARK

   "___! The Herald Angels Sing"

   Clue insight

   Fill-in style clue — "HARK" completes the pattern described in ""___! The Herald Angels Sing"".

   Solving note

   Warm-up clue: Solve ""___! The Herald Angels Sing"" without peeking at ladder order.

2. Middle 2Cross-check

   HARD

   Difficult

   Clue insight

   "Difficult" resolves to "HARD" once you read the clue as a 4-letter crossword answer.

   Solving note

   Cross-check: Solve "Difficult" without peeking at ladder order.

3. Middle 3Pivot answer

   HERD

   Collective noun for bison or elephants

   Clue insight

   "Collective noun for bison or elephants" resolves to "HERD" once you read the clue as a 4-letter crossword answer.

   Solving note

   Pivot answer: Solve "Collective noun for bison or elephants" without peeking at ladder order.

4. Middle 4Verifier

   HEAD

   Where a hat usually sits

   Clue insight

   "Where a hat usually sits" resolves to "HEAD" once you read the clue as a 4-letter crossword answer.

   Solving note

   Verifier: Solve "Where a hat usually sits" without peeking at ladder order.

5. Middle 5Final middle

   LEAD

   Be in the front of, as a race

   Clue insight

   "Be in the front of, as a race" resolves to "LEAD" once you read the clue as a 4-letter crossword answer.

   Solving note

   Final middle: Solve "Be in the front of, as a race" without peeking at ladder order.

1. HACK → HARKStep 1

   C→R at the third letter (HACK → HARK)

   Teaching link HACK→HARK: C→R at the third letter (HACK → HARK).

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

2. HARK → HARDStep 2

   K→D at the fourth letter (HARK → HARD)

   Teaching link HARK→HARD: K→D at the fourth letter (HARK → HARD).

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

3. HARD → HERDStep 3

   A→E at the second letter (HARD → HERD)

   Teaching link HARD→HERD: A→E at the second letter (HARD → HERD).

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

4. HERD → HEADStep 4

   R→A at the third letter (HERD → HEAD)

   Teaching link HERD→HEAD: R→A at the third letter (HERD → HEAD).

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

5. HEAD → LEADStep 5

   H→L at the first letter (HEAD → LEAD)

   Teaching link HEAD→LEAD: H→L at the first letter (HEAD → LEAD).

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

6. LEAD → LEAKStep 6

   D→K at the fourth letter (LEAD → LEAK)

   Teaching link LEAD→LEAK: D→K at the fourth letter (LEAD → LEAK).

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

Teach students to test pairs: HARK → HARD → HERD → HEAD → LEAD works because HACK→HARK, HARK→HARD, HARD→HERD, HERD→HEAD, HEAD→LEAD, LEAD→LEAK each differ by one letter only.

Endgame: combo clue "Two ways data might become public when it shouldn't be." describes both HACK and LEAK. Unlock only after ladder ordering passes every one-letter check.

The combo clue "Two ways data might become public when it shouldn't be." describes both end words together — "HACK" and "LEAK" 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 HARK, HARD, HERD, HEAD, LEAD. Middle 1: ""___! The Herald Angels Sing"" → HARK. Fill-in style clue — "HARK" completes the pattern described in ""___! The Herald Angels Sing"". Middle 2: "Difficult" → HARD. "Difficult" resolves to "HARD" once you read the clue as a 4-letter crossword answer. Middle 3: "Collective noun for bison or elephants" → HERD. "Collective noun for bison or elephants" resolves to "HERD" once you read the clue as a 4-letter crossword answer. Middle 4: "Where a hat usually sits" → HEAD. "Where a hat usually sits" resolves to "HEAD" once you read the clue as a 4-letter crossword answer. Middle 5: "Be in the front of, as a race" → LEAD. "Be in the front of, as a race" resolves to "LEAD" 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: HARK → HARD → HERD → HEAD → LEAD. Ladder step: C→R at the third letter (HACK → HARK) (connects to a combo end). Ladder step: K→D at the fourth letter (HARK → HARD). Ladder step: A→E at the second letter (HARD → HERD). Ladder step: R→A at the third letter (HERD → HEAD). Ladder step: H→L at the first letter (HEAD → LEAD). Ladder step: D→K at the fourth letter (LEAD → LEAK) (connects to a combo end). Phase 3: Unlock combo ends — top "HACK" and bottom "LEAK" share the clue: Two ways data might become public when it shouldn't be..

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 HACK to LEAK. The top and bottom rows share one combo clue: Two ways data might become public when it shouldn't be. The solution path is HACK → HARK → HARD → HERD → HEAD → LEAD → LEAK, changing exactly one letter between each rung. Middle clues include "___! The Herald Angels Sing", Difficult, and Collective noun for bison or elephants, and others — solve these before reordering. Correct middle order: HARK → HARD → HERD → HEAD → LEAD. The combo clue "Two ways data might become public when it shouldn't be." describes both end words together — "HACK" and "LEAK" 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.