Word ladders: work backward when the route stalls
Change one letter at a time and keep every step in the supplied dictionary. The target can be a better starting point for planning than the first word.
Separate a valid move from a useful move
A real word one letter away is legal, but it may lead into a narrow branch. Notice which letters need to change to reach the target.
Use undo deliberately
Undo returns to the previous word without inventing a new route. A revealed hint comes from a shortest path through this game’s actual dictionary.
Dictionary limits are visible
Word Steps publishes its finite list of allowed words. An entry absent from this list may still be an English word; it simply is not part of this puzzle’s graph.