Rung #15: GROW to NOSE — the solution

The Rung ladder from August 29, 2026: GROW to NOSE, one letter at a time, every step a real word. Par is 6, with one two-letter leap in hand.

The puzzle

Climb from GROW to NOSE. Par is the shortest climb through the whole accepted dictionary, counting the leap — two letters changed in one move, once, at the cost of two rungs, so it cannot be beaten. The leap does not shorten this one: 6 rungs is the shortest climb with or without it.

The walkthrough

A climb that makes par, one of 90 shortest: at every step a single letter changes and every word on the way is one the game accepts.

1. GROW → GREW — the third letter, O becomes E.
2. GREW → DREW — the first letter, G becomes D.
3. DREW → DREE — the fourth letter, W becomes E.
4. DREE → DOSE — the leap: R becomes O and E becomes S, two letters in one move for two rungs.
5. DOSE → NOSE — the first letter, D becomes N.

Other routes as short: GROW · GROT · ROOT · ROST · ROSE · NOSE; GROW · GREW · GREE · GONE · NONE · NOSE; GROW · DROW · DREW · DREE · DOSE · NOSE; and more.

The answer

GROW · GREW · DREW · DREE · DOSE · NOSE — 6 rungs, the leap landing on the word in italics.

Previous: Rung #14 (Fri, Aug 28) · Next: Rung #16 (Sun, Aug 30)

About Rung

Rung is Noggin’s daily word ladder: four letters, one changed at a time, par set by the shortest climb there is. Any real word is a rung; a two-letter leap is yours once a day. How to play Rung, or play today’s.