AskThena

Change one letter

The first word turns into the last by changing one letter at a time. Find the real word in the middle.

Thena, a marble statue of a young Athena

What the question looks like

Change the first word into the last word by changing one letter at a time. Find the real word that goes in the middle.

COLD ( ? ) CARD

  1. CART
  2. COLT
  3. CORD
  4. HOLD
  5. WARD

How Thena would solve it

  1. Mark the letters that change between the first word and the last: the O and the L.

    COLD → CARD

  2. Change one of them at a time: CALD or CORD.

    CALD CORD

  3. Only CORD is a real word, so the ladder goes COLD, CORD, CARD.

Answer: CORD

The usual mistakes

  • Changing two letters at once

    Each step changes one letter only.

  • A middle word that isn’t real

    Say it aloud: CALD isn’t a word.

  • Changing a letter that stays

    Mark the letters that differ before you start.

Try ten

Ten change one letter questions

A new set every time, marked when you finish.

Have paper and a pencil ready for working out.

Questions parents ask

How do you answer Change one letter questions?

Mark the letters that differ between the first and last words. Change one of them at a time and check which middle word is real.

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