LinkedIn Crossclimb #913

LinkedIn Crossclimb #913 is the LinkedIn Crossclimb daily for October 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: Hard. Estimated solve time: 6–10 min. Read the explainer sections below for strategy, or jump straight into play.

The complete word ladder from TAPE to DECK:

TAPE → TALE → PALE → PACE → PACK → PECK → DECK

Top and bottom share the combo clue: “A two-word phrase for a popular device for playing music in the 1980s.”

1. Middle 1Warm-up clue

   TALE

   Story often presented orally

   Clue insight

   "Story often presented orally" resolves to "TALE" once you read the clue as a 4-letter crossword answer.

   Solving note

   Warm-up clue: Solve "Story often presented orally" without peeking at ladder order.

2. Middle 2Cross-check

   PALE

   Definitely not bold, as a hue

   Clue insight

   "Definitely not bold, as a hue" resolves to "PALE" once you read the clue as a 4-letter crossword answer.

   Solving note

   Cross-check: Solve "Definitely not bold, as a hue" without peeking at ladder order.

3. Middle 3Pivot answer

   PACE

   Average speed at which a runner runs

   Clue insight

   "Average speed at which a runner runs" resolves to "PACE" once you read the clue as a 4-letter crossword answer.

   Solving note

   Pivot answer: Solve "Average speed at which a runner runs" without peeking at ladder order.

4. Middle 4Verifier

   PACK

   Get ready for a business trip

   Clue insight

   "Get ready for a business trip" resolves to "PACK" once you read the clue as a 4-letter crossword answer.

   Solving note

   Verifier: Solve "Get ready for a business trip" without peeking at ladder order.

5. Middle 5Final middle

   PECK

   Little kiss, as on the forehead

   Clue insight

   "Little kiss, as on the forehead" resolves to "PECK" once you read the clue as a 4-letter crossword answer.

   Solving note

   Final middle: Solve "Little kiss, as on the forehead" without peeking at ladder order.

1. TAPE → TALEStep 1

   P→L at the third letter (TAPE → TALE)

   Teaching link TAPE→TALE: P→L at the third letter (TAPE → TALE).

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

2. TALE → PALEStep 2

   T→P at the first letter (TALE → PALE)

   Teaching link TALE→PALE: T→P at the first letter (TALE → PALE).

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

3. PALE → PACEStep 3

   L→C at the third letter (PALE → PACE)

   Teaching link PALE→PACE: L→C at the third letter (PALE → PACE).

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

4. PACE → PACKStep 4

   E→K at the fourth letter (PACE → PACK)

   Teaching link PACE→PACK: E→K at the fourth letter (PACE → PACK).

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

5. PACK → PECKStep 5

   A→E at the second letter (PACK → PECK)

   Teaching link PACK→PECK: A→E at the second letter (PACK → PECK).

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

6. PECK → DECKStep 6

   P→D at the first letter (PECK → DECK)

   Teaching link PECK→DECK: P→D at the first letter (PECK → DECK).

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

Teach students to test pairs: TALE → PALE → PACE → PACK → PECK works because TAPE→TALE, TALE→PALE, PALE→PACE, PACE→PACK, PACK→PECK, PECK→DECK each differ by one letter only.

Endgame: combo clue "A two-word phrase for a popular device for playing music in the 1980s." describes both TAPE and DECK. Unlock only after ladder ordering passes every one-letter check.

The combo clue "A two-word phrase for a popular device for playing music in the 1980s." describes both end words together — "TAPE" and "DECK" 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 TALE, PALE, PACE, PACK, PECK. Middle 1: "Story often presented orally" → TALE. "Story often presented orally" resolves to "TALE" once you read the clue as a 4-letter crossword answer. Middle 2: "Definitely not bold, as a hue" → PALE. "Definitely not bold, as a hue" resolves to "PALE" once you read the clue as a 4-letter crossword answer. Middle 3: "Average speed at which a runner runs" → PACE. "Average speed at which a runner runs" resolves to "PACE" once you read the clue as a 4-letter crossword answer. Middle 4: "Get ready for a business trip" → PACK. "Get ready for a business trip" resolves to "PACK" once you read the clue as a 4-letter crossword answer. Middle 5: "Little kiss, as on the forehead" → PECK. "Little kiss, as on the forehead" resolves to "PECK" 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: TALE → PALE → PACE → PACK → PECK. Ladder step: P→L at the third letter (TAPE → TALE) (connects to a combo end). Ladder step: T→P at the first letter (TALE → PALE). Ladder step: L→C at the third letter (PALE → PACE). Ladder step: E→K at the fourth letter (PACE → PACK). Ladder step: A→E at the second letter (PACK → PECK). Ladder step: P→D at the first letter (PECK → DECK) (connects to a combo end). Phase 3: Unlock combo ends — top "TAPE" and bottom "DECK" share the clue: A two-word phrase for a popular device for playing music in the 1980s..

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 TAPE to DECK. The top and bottom rows share one combo clue: A two-word phrase for a popular device for playing music in the 1980s. The solution path is TAPE → TALE → PALE → PACE → PACK → PECK → DECK, changing exactly one letter between each rung. Middle clues include Story often presented orally, Definitely not bold, as a hue, and Average speed at which a runner runs, and others — solve these before reordering. Correct middle order: TALE → PALE → PACE → PACK → PECK. The combo clue "A two-word phrase for a popular device for playing music in the 1980s." describes both end words together — "TAPE" and "DECK" 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.