How to play Feetle: the rules
Here is how to play Feetle: turn the start word into FEET by changing one letter at a time, making a real word at every step. The details:
- Every word has four letters, and the last one is always FEET.
- Each step changes exactly one letter. The other three stay where they are, so FEAT to FATE doesn't count, even though it's the same letters.
- Each step has to be in our word list of 3,852 words.
- You may reuse a word, but every step counts toward your total.
One note on the name: this page is about how to play Feetle the word ladder, not the League of Legends game about guessing champions from their feet.
You type the whole word, either on the on-screen keyboard or a real one. When the fourth letter goes in, the word submits by itself (Enter works too). Faster still: tap a letter of the current word, shown faintly in the empty row, and type its replacement. Only that letter changes, and the word goes in at once. A word that isn't allowed just shows why and costs nothing.
A worked example: FISH to FEET
FISH has 6 one-letter changes that make a word (FIST, FISC, WISH, DISH, FASH, PISH). Only FIST brings you closer, so a good player tries that first. From there:
- FISH to FIST: 4th letter, H to T.
- FIST to FIAT: 3rd letter, S to A. A fiat is a formal order.
- FIAT to FEAT: 2nd letter, I to E.
- FEAT to FEET: 3rd letter, A to E. Done in four, which is par.
Notice that the 3rd letter changes twice, S to A and later A to E. Players new to word ladders tend to treat each letter as a job to do once. The shortest path often changes the same spot more than once, because the word in between is the only bridge.
What the messages mean
When a word bounces, the game tells you why in a few words:
| Message | What went wrong |
|---|---|
| Use 4 letters | The word is shorter or longer than four letters. |
| Letters only | There's a digit, a space or a symbol in it. |
| Not in our word list | The word isn't one we accept. Names, abbreviations and crude words are left out. |
| Change exactly one letter | The word changes two or more letters, or none, from the word before it. |
A bounced word costs you nothing. Only accepted words count as steps.
Par, undo, hints and giving up
Par is the shortest possible ladder from the start word, and it shows before your first move as Par 4 steps or similar. You can't beat it, only match it. Finish in par and you're On par. Each extra step adds one: +1, +2.
Undo takes back your last step for free, as often as you like, though your result notes how many times you used it. Hints come in three levels for the word you're on: the letter to change, then the next word with letters hidden, then the next word in full. Giving up shows a shortest route from where you are and ends the game without a score. The answer page has today's hints too, and the full answer the next day at 08:00 UTC.
The daily puzzle, streaks and sharing
A new puzzle goes live every day at 08:00 UTC. In the US that's 4 a.m. EDT on the East Coast and 1 a.m. PDT on the West Coast while daylight saving time is on (the second Sunday in March to the first Sunday in November), and 3 a.m. EST or midnight PST through the winter. In Sydney it's 7 p.m. AEDT from the first Sunday in October to the first Sunday in April, and 6 p.m. AEST the rest of the year. Everyone gets the same start word that day.
Finish the day's puzzle to keep your streak going. A give-up or a skipped day resets it. Past days are in the archive and replays don't affect the streak, and Feetle Unlimited is there when one puzzle a day isn't enough.
When you finish, Share gives you a short block of text: the puzzle number, the start word, your steps against par and one row per word, marking each letter that already matches FEET. It shows your route without spelling out the words, so it's safe to post before your friends have played.
The best way to learn it is a few rounds: play today's puzzle.
Try a ladder
Today's puzzle is on the home page, and unlimited mode deals a new one whenever you want.
Play today's Feetle