Word Ladder Solver (Longest Solutions)
Yesterday, I published a tool to generate word ladders between two inputted words.
Without validating, I made the statement that the longest known word ladder was 22 steps, for the pair of words CHARGE → COMEDO. I made this declaration based on a Google search of an article published in 2012, which used a much smaller dictionary than the one I was using. How foolish I was! I should have listened to the famous proverb Доверяй, но проверяй (Trust, but verify).
Within hours of the page going live, I began to receive email from people who had used the tool and found longer, and longer chains.
I realised I needed to correct this error, and quickly.
So, last night, I ran a query over the database to find the chains with the largest radius. The results are below.
The longest found is a stupendous 52 step chain. It's for a collection of 7 letter words. As per the rules, each word is distinct, each differs from next word by just one letter, and is the shortest path to transition between those two words. It is the chain between ATLASES and CABARET.
ATLASES → ANLASES → ANLACES → UNLACES → UNLACED → UNLADED → UNFADED → UNFAKED → UNCAKED → UNCAKES → UNCASES → UNEASES → UREASES → CREASES → CRESSES → CROSSES → CROSSER → CRASSER → CRASHER → BRASHER → BRASIER → BRAKIER → BEAKIER → PEAKIER → PECKIER → PICKIER → DICKIER → DICKIES → HICKIES → HACKIES → HACKLES → HECKLES → DECKLES → DECILES → DEFILES → DEFILED → DEVILED → DEVELED → REVELED → RAVELED → RAVENED → HAVENED → HAVERED → WAVERED → WATERED → CATERED → CAPERED → TAPERED → TABERED → TABORED → TABORET → TABARET → CABARET
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Below are the results of my search for the longest chain, by word length. There were some trivial one-step solutions to some longer words that rely on the fact that my dictionary contains both American and English spellings of words, such as entries for the –ise and –ize, or –lis and –liz, variants of words (e.g. MATERIALIZED and MATERIALISED).
Longest 2 letter (5 steps)
GO → SO → SH → EH → EF → IF
Longest 3 letter (9 steps)
CHI → KHI → KOI → KOS → KAS → AAS → ABS → ABO → AGO → EGO
Longest 4 letter (17 steps)
ATOM → ATOP → STOP → STEP → SEEP → SEES → SETS → SITS → AITS → ANTS → ANTI → INTI → INTO → UNTO → UNCO → UNCI → UNAI → UNAU
Longest 5 letter (30 steps)
NYLON → PYLON → PELON → MELON → MESON → MASON → MACON → RACON → RADON → REDON → REDOS → REDDS → READS → REARS → GEARS → GNARS → GNARL → SNARL → SNAIL → SPAIL → SPAIT → SPLIT → UPLIT → UNLIT → UNLET → INLET → ISLET → ISLED → IDLED → IDLER → ILLER
Longest 6 letter (39 steps)
BOYISH → TOYISH → TONISH → MONISH → MOPISH → POPISH → POLISH → PALISH → PARISH → PARIAH → PARIAN → PARTAN → TARTAN → TARTAR → TARTER → CARTER → CARTES → CARSES → CORSES → HORSES → HORSTS → HOISTS → JOISTS → JOINTS → POINTS → POINDS → POUNDS → FOUNDS → FOUNTS → COUNTS → COUNTY → BOUNTY → BOUNCY → BOUNCE → JOUNCE → JAUNCE → LAUNCE → LAUNCH → PAUNCH → PAINCH
Longest 7 letter (52 steps)
ATLASES → ANLASES → ANLACES → UNLACES → UNLACED → UNLADED → UNFADED → UNFAKED → UNCAKED → UNCAKES → UNCASES → UNEASES → UREASES → CREASES → CRESSES → CROSSES → CROSSER → CRASSER → CRASHER → BRASHER → BRASIER → BRAKIER → BEAKIER → PEAKIER → PECKIER → PICKIER → DICKIER → DICKIES → HICKIES → HACKIES → HACKLES → HECKLES → DECKLES → DECILES → DEFILES → DEFILED → DEVILED → DEVELED → REVELED → RAVELED → RAVENED → HAVENED → HAVERED → WAVERED → WATERED → CATERED → CAPERED → TAPERED → TABERED → TABORED → TABORET → TABARET → CABARET
Longest 8 letter (31 steps)
QUIRKING → QUIRTING → QUILTING → QUILLING → QUELLING → DUELLING → DWELLING → SWELLING → SPELLING → SPALLING → SPARLING → STARLING → STARTING → SCARTING → SCATTING → SLATTING → BLATTING → BLASTING → BOASTING → COASTING → COACTING → COACHING → COUCHING → MOUCHING → MOUTHING → SOUTHING → SOOTHING → TOOTHING → TROTHING → TRITHING → WRITHING → WRATHING
Longest 9 letter (17 steps)
DECANTING → RECANTING → RECASTING → RETASTING → RETESTING → REVESTING → REVETTING → RELETTING → RELENTING → RELENDING → REMENDING → REMANDING → REMANNING → REMAINING → REMAILING → RETAILING → DETAILING → DERAILING
Longest 10 letter (9 steps)
BLISTERING → BLUSTERING → CLUSTERING → CLUTTERING → CLATTERING → BLATTERING → BLATHERING → BLITHERING → SLITHERING → SWITHERING
Longest 11 letter (7 steps)
SILLINESSES → SILKINESSES → SULKINESSES → BULKINESSES → BALKINESSES → TALKINESSES → TACKINESSES → WACKINESSES
Longest 12 letter (6 steps)
MATERIALIZED → MATERIALIZES → MATERIALISES → MATERIALISMS → MATERNALISMS → PATERNALISMS → PATERNALISTS
Longest 13 letter (3 steps)
COLLECTIVISTS → COLLECTIVISES → COLLECTIVISED → COLLECTIVIZED
Longest 14 letter (4 steps)
DEVOLUTIONISTS → REVOLUTIONISTS → REVOLUTIONISES → REVOLUTIONISED → REVOLUTIONIZED
Other Word Puzzles/Tools
If you liked this tool, here are some other tools I've written that you might find interesting:
- A tool for solving Sudoku puzzles.
- Levenshtein Distance calculator (minimum steps to change from one word to another by either the addition, subtraction, or replacement of one letter at a time).
- A tool to help you solve puzzles in the wonderful game of AlphaBear.
- Interactive Hangman solver. (Though you've probably been playing hangman wrong your entire life).
- Deciding if you should take the bankers offer in Deal or No Deal.
- Interactive Countdown Letters Game solver.
- Countdown Numbers Game solver.
- Or the classic Wheel of Fortune solver.