CrossClimb #736: Five Clues to a Compound Word
Related Puzzle
CrossClimb #736
LinkedIn CrossClimb #736 for May 6, 2026 full solution with hints, top and bottom answers. Hints: Do well against hardships, Sheltered inlet on the coast where you might moor a boat, Where bats often live, Walking aid that often has a curve at the top, Containers that may be recycled, A compound word for people who imitate others.
The Puzzle
CrossClimb #736 gives you five clues that build a word ladder. Each step swaps exactly one letter. Your final goal: find a compound word made from two of those ladder words.
The Clues and the Climb
Step 1: Do well against hardshipsAnswer: COPE
Step 2: Sheltered inlet on the coast where you might moor a boatAnswer: COVE
Letter swapped: P becomes V
Step 3: Where bats often liveAnswer: CAVE
Letter swapped: O becomes A
Step 4: Walking aid that often has a curve at the topAnswer: CANE
Letter swapped: V becomes N
Step 5: Containers that may be recycledAnswer: CANS
Letter swapped: E becomes S
The Compound Question
Now combine two words from your ladder into a single compound word that means: people who imitate others.
Why This Works
Notice the pattern: every word starts with C and ends with a vowel or S. The ladder forces tight connections. But the real aha comes at the end.
Take COPY (people imitate, they copy behavior) and CATS (a common shorthand for imitators in slang and meme culture). Together: COPYCATS. That's your answer.
The Strategy
The first four clues feel straightforward, almost mechanical. You're swapping letters in a predictable groove. Then the fifth clue breaks the pattern slightly: CAN (singular tool) becomes CANS (plural containers). This shift preps your mind for the pivot. You're no longer just solving a ladder; you're collecting pieces for a compound.
The final clue asks you to look back and ask: which two ladder words work together as a compound noun? Not all ladder puzzles reward you this way. Here, the five-step climb becomes a toolkit, and you must synthesize rather than just descend.
The Payoff
COPYCATS feels inevitable once you see it. But getting there requires you to hold all five words in mind, recognize that COPY and CATS both belong to your ladder, and trust that the compound question is hinting at a real, common English phrase. That's where the satisfaction lives: in the moment you realize the puzzle wasn't just a mechanical letter swap, but a carefully threaded story about mimicry and identity.