LinkedIn Crossclimb #914

LinkedIn Crossclimb #914 is the LinkedIn Crossclimb daily for October 31, 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 POKE to BALL:

POKE → POLE → PILE → FILE → FILL → BILL → BALL

Top and bottom share the combo clue: “A two-word phrase for a sphere for catching creatures in a massively popular game series.”

1. Middle 1Sample 1

   POLE

   What a gondolier uses for propulsion

   Clue insight

   Sample 1: What a gondolier uses for propulsion = POLE

   Solving note

   A plausible wrong answer often differs in length or cannot one-letter-link to other middles — verify before reordering.

2. Middle 2Sample 2

   PILE

   Heap

   Clue insight

   Sample 2: Heap = PILE

   Solving note

   A plausible wrong answer often differs in length or cannot one-letter-link to other middles — verify before reordering.

3. Middle 3Sample 3

   FILE

   You might use it on your nails

   Clue insight

   Sample 3: You might use it on your nails = FILE

   Solving note

   A plausible wrong answer often differs in length or cannot one-letter-link to other middles — verify before reordering.

4. Middle 4Sample 4

   FILL

   ___-in-the-blank

   Clue insight

   Sample 4: ___-in-the-blank = FILL

   Solving note

   A plausible wrong answer often differs in length or cannot one-letter-link to other middles — verify before reordering.

5. Middle 5Sample 5

   BILL

   What someone must pay before leaving the restaurant

   Clue insight

   Sample 5: What someone must pay before leaving the restaurant = BILL

   Solving note

   A plausible wrong answer often differs in length or cannot one-letter-link to other middles — verify before reordering.

1. POKE → POLEStep 1

   K→L at the third letter (POKE → POLE)

   Transition 1 K→L at the third letter (POKE → POLE)

   Combo boundary transition.

2. POLE → PILEStep 2

   O→I at the second letter (POLE → PILE)

   Transition 2 O→I at the second letter (POLE → PILE)

   Interior ladder transition.

3. PILE → FILEStep 3

   P→F at the first letter (PILE → FILE)

   Transition 3 P→F at the first letter (PILE → FILE)

   Interior ladder transition.

4. FILE → FILLStep 4

   E→L at the fourth letter (FILE → FILL)

   Transition 4 E→L at the fourth letter (FILE → FILL)

   Interior ladder transition.

5. FILL → BILLStep 5

   F→B at the first letter (FILL → BILL)

   Transition 5 F→B at the first letter (FILL → BILL)

   Interior ladder transition.

6. BILL → BALLStep 6

   I→A at the second letter (BILL → BALL)

   Transition 6 I→A at the second letter (BILL → BALL)

   Combo boundary transition.

Optimal order: POLE → PILE → FILE → FILL → BILL. 1 valid permutation(s) from 5 middles. Unique ordering.

Combo classification: "A two-word phrase for a sphere for catching creatures in a massively popular game series." → endpoints POKE, BALL.

The combo clue "A two-word phrase for a sphere for catching creatures in a massively popular game series." describes both end words together — "POKE" and "BALL" 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 POLE, PILE, FILE, FILL, BILL. Middle 1: "What a gondolier uses for propulsion" → POLE. "What a gondolier uses for propulsion" resolves to "POLE" once you read the clue as a 4-letter crossword answer. Middle 2: "Heap" → PILE. "Heap" resolves to "PILE" once you read the clue as a 4-letter crossword answer. Middle 3: "You might use it on your nails" → FILE. "You might use it on your nails" resolves to "FILE" once you read the clue as a 4-letter crossword answer. Middle 4: "___-in-the-blank" → FILL. Fill-in style clue — "FILL" completes the pattern described in "___-in-the-blank". Middle 5: "What someone must pay before leaving the restaurant" → BILL. "What someone must pay before leaving the restaurant" resolves to "BILL" 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: POLE → PILE → FILE → FILL → BILL. Ladder step: K→L at the third letter (POKE → POLE) (connects to a combo end). Ladder step: O→I at the second letter (POLE → PILE). Ladder step: P→F at the first letter (PILE → FILE). Ladder step: E→L at the fourth letter (FILE → FILL). Ladder step: F→B at the first letter (FILL → BILL). Ladder step: I→A at the second letter (BILL → BALL) (connects to a combo end). Phase 3: Unlock combo ends — top "POKE" and bottom "BALL" share the clue: A two-word phrase for a sphere for catching creatures in a massively popular game series..

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 POKE to BALL. The top and bottom rows share one combo clue: A two-word phrase for a sphere for catching creatures in a massively popular game series. The solution path is POKE → POLE → PILE → FILE → FILL → BILL → BALL, changing exactly one letter between each rung. Middle clues include What a gondolier uses for propulsion, Heap, and You might use it on your nails, and others — solve these before reordering. Correct middle order: POLE → PILE → FILE → FILL → BILL. The combo clue "A two-word phrase for a sphere for catching creatures in a massively popular game series." describes both end words together — "POKE" and "BALL" 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.