LinkedIn Wend #55

LinkedIn Wend #55 is the LinkedIn Wend daily for August 2, 2026. Wend is LinkedIn's word-finding game: drag through adjacent letters on a 7×7 grid to spell 7 hidden words (3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9 letters each). Every letter is used exactly once. 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.

This board hides 7 words: "JOY", "BEAM", "SMILE", "BASKET", "CHAGRIN", "LAUGHTER", "HAPPINESS".

The longest word is HAPPINESS — solve it first, then work through the remaining paths in recommended order.

1. Word 1Anchor word9 letters

   HAPPINESS

   Path

   Starts at row 3, column 5 (interior), then runs one cell north, then 2 cells west, then one cell south, then one cell west, then one cell south, then one cell west, then one cell south.

   The snake spans three or more quadrants of the board — a high-impact route to place early. A zigzag path with multiple turns — harder to guess without tracing letter by letter.

   Solving note

   Anchor word: Start here — "HAPPINESS" claims 9 cells and defines the rest of the partition.

2. Word 2Territory claim8 letters

   LAUGHTER

   Path

   Starts at row 1, column 6 (edge), then runs one cell east, then 2 cells south, then one cell west, then one cell south, then one cell west, then one cell south.

   A zigzag path with multiple turns — harder to guess without tracing letter by letter. Starts on an edge — edge starts reduce the number of possible directions.

   Solving note

   Territory claim: After prior locks, 33 cells were open; this word consumes 8.

3. Word 3Bridge path7 letters

   CHAGRIN

   Path

   Starts at row 3, column 1 (edge), then runs 2 cells north, then 4 cells east.

   An L-shaped path with one turn — common for medium-length words along two edges. Starts on an edge — edge starts reduce the number of possible directions.

   Solving note

   Bridge path: After prior locks, 25 cells were open; this word consumes 7.

4. Word 4Gap filler6 letters

   BASKET

   Path

   Starts at row 4, column 7 (edge), then runs 3 cells south, then one cell west, then one cell north.

   Contains rare letter K — usually a strong anchor for this word's path. A U-turn path that doubles back — watch for cells that look available but belong to this word. Starts on an edge — edge starts reduce the number of possible directions.

   Solving note

   Gap filler: After prior locks, 18 cells were open; this word consumes 6.

5. Word 5Partition lock5 letters

   SMILE

   Path

   Starts at row 4, column 3 (interior), then runs one cell south, then one cell east, then 2 cells north.

   The path crosses the grid center, consuming territory that would block multiple shorter words. A U-turn path that doubles back — watch for cells that look available but belong to this word.

   Solving note

   Partition lock: After prior locks, 12 cells were open; this word consumes 5.

6. Word 6Final cell4 letters

   BEAM

   Path

   Starts at row 7, column 1 (corner), then runs one cell north, then one cell east, then one cell south.

   A U-turn path that doubles back — watch for cells that look available but belong to this word. Starts in a corner — fewer adjacent options often mean a clearer first letter to test.

   Solving note

   Final cell: After prior locks, 7 cells were open; this word consumes 4.

7. Word 7Word 73 letters

   JOY

   Path

   Starts at row 7, column 5 (edge), then runs 2 cells west.

   Contains rare letter J — usually a strong anchor for this word's path. A straight run with no turns — easy to trace once you spot the entry letter. Starts on an edge — edge starts reduce the number of possible directions.

   Solving note

   Word 7: "JOY" is the final 3-letter path — verify no unused cells remain.

Longest-first ordering ("HAPPINESS" (9), then "LAUGHTER" (8), then "CHAGRIN" (7), then "BASKET" (6), then "SMILE" (5), then "BEAM" (4), then "JOY" (3)) minimizes dead-end paths on this 7×7 board. "HAPPINESS" removes the most cells in one trace — 9 letters — leaving 33 for the remaining words. Shorter words after that often have only one legal path through leftover clusters.

Step 1: Lock "HAPPINESS" (9 letters) first — Starts at row 3, column 5 (interior), then runs one cell north, then 2 cells west, then one cell south, then one cell west, then one cell south, then one cell west, then one cell south. 33 playable letters remain. Step 2: Place "LAUGHTER" (8 letters). 25 letters left in 5 words. Step 3: Place "CHAGRIN" (7 letters). 18 letters left in 4 words. Step 4: Place "BASKET" (6 letters). 12 letters left in 3 words. Step 5: Place "SMILE" (5 letters). 7 letters left in 2 words. Step 6: Place "BEAM" (4 letters). 3 letters left in 1 word. Step 7: Finish with "JOY" — the last 3-letter path. Every letter on the board is now accounted for.

A rare letter (Q, X, Z, J, or K) anchors at least one word. Uncommon letters usually belong to a single path — scan for them before guessing long routes through the center.

All 42 playable letters belong to exactly 7 words (JOY, BEAM, SMILE, BASKET, CHAGRIN, LAUGHTER, HAPPINESS). No letter is shared between paths, and every cell with a letter is used.

This Wend puzzle hides JOY, BEAM, SMILE, BASKET, CHAGRIN, LAUGHTER, and HAPPINESS on a 7×7 board. Each word is spelled by connecting horizontally or vertically adjacent cells — no diagonals, no reusing letters, and no overlapping paths. Word lengths run from 3 to 9 letters; recommended solve order (longest first): HAPPINESS, LAUGHTER, CHAGRIN, BASKET, SMILE, BEAM, and JOY. Start with "HAPPINESS" — the 9-letter anchor — then fill shorter paths through remaining letter clusters. A rare letter (Q, X, Z, J, or K) anchors at least one word. Uncommon letters usually belong to a single path — scan for them before guessing long routes through the center. Use the Solution tab above for an interactive word-by-word walkthrough with live paths on the grid, or the Solved board tab for the complete answer at a glance.