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No. 5

August 3, 2026
mindloftdaily.com/rung
Rung is ready

Climb from SHOCK to SCENE, one letter at a time, every rung a word. Par is 14 and perfect is 10, the shortest route there is. No undo, only a restart.

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Rung · this puzzle · top 10
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Word
CruxA clueless crossword →LodeSeven letters, rare words pay →EmceeThe daily mini crossword →ShardsReassemble the crossword →GarbleUntangle five words →LinksFour hidden threads →StetSpot the error, fix the copy →TuckSame letters, highest score wins →WarmerHotter or colder →GlyphA crossword with no clues →
History
DatingPut history in order →ExtraName the story →BracketName every winner →ListedRank the list, top to bottom →
Geography
SpanCross the map →PingFind the secret city →
Numbers
TallyBalance the books →SudsThe daily sudoku →CarveEqual-sum blocks →CipherCrack the letter math →HedgeDraw one closed loop →CrunchSix numbers, one target →
Crowd Psychology
OutwitBeat the crowd →OutrankCall the crowd's order →FeudMatch the crowd →
Trivia
StreakForty questions, one life →
Logic
AlibiSolve the nightly whodunit →JestersSeat the court →SwornSpot the liars →AxiomFind the hidden rule →HearsayDeduce what they don't know →VennSort the overlaps →StandsRebuild the results →EtchA picture in the numbers →ParkerGet the red one out →FibOne clue is lying →
End Game
MateWhite to play and mate →FourOne column wins →CheckGive a piece, take them all →TaireThe daily solitaire →BabelThe bag is empty →

About Rung

Rung is a free daily word ladder from Mind Loft. Two five-letter words, and a climb from one to the other changing a single letter at a time, with every rung a word in its own right. The puzzle is as old as Lewis Carroll and still one of the best things you can do with a dictionary.

Every ladder is machine generated and then solved exactly, so perfect really is the shortest route rather than somebody’s guess, and it was confirmed by a second search written independently of the first. Par sits a cushion above perfect: it is what a clean climb comes in at, and it is beatable. On most boards there is only one shortest ladder, which is what makes matching perfect worth something. Weekday climbs run 10 to 12 rungs and Sundays a good deal further.

A new ladder drops every day at midnight Eastern. No app, no signup, play free in your browser, keep a streak, and race the daily leaderboard. More dailies: Crunch, our daily numbers round, Parker, our daily sliding-block jam, and Crux, our clueless crossword.