CrossClimb #908: Five Clues, One Tight Ladder

The Ladder at a Glance

CrossClimb #908 rewards disciplined sequencing. Each four-letter answer changes by exactly one letter, creating a continuous path from the first compound word to the second.

DATE → RATE → RAKE → SAKE → SALE → PALE → PALM

Step-by-Step Climb

1. Clue 1: Give a score from 1 to 10, say

The answer is RATE. It means to judge or assign a score.

To reach RAKE, swap the third letter: T becomes K.

RATE → RAKE

2. Clue 2: Tool in a Zen garden

The answer is RAKE, the tool used to shape gravel and maintain patterns in a Zen garden.

Next, change the first letter: R becomes S.

RAKE → SAKE

3. Clue 3: Alcoholic drink made from rice

The answer is SAKE, the Japanese alcoholic drink brewed from rice.

Now swap the third letter: K becomes L.

SAKE → SALE

4. Clue 4: Transaction at a shop

The answer is SALE, a transaction in which goods are sold.

Change the second letter: A becomes A is not a valid swap, so the useful comparison is between SALE and PALE: the first letter changes, S becomes P.

SALE → PALE

5. Clue 5: Lacking color

The answer is PALE, describing something light or lacking strong color.

The final step changes the fourth letter: E becomes M.

PALE → PALM

The Aha! Moment

The clue answers alone produce the middle of the route:

RATE → RAKE → SAKE → SALE → PALE

The compound clue supplies the two endpoints: a type of tree cultivated for its sweet fruit is a date palm. That gives DATE at the top and PALM at the bottom.

Both endpoints fit the same one-letter rule. DATE becomes RATE by changing the first letter, while PALE becomes PALM by changing the fourth. The full chain is therefore complete:

DATE → RATE → RAKE → SAKE → SALE → PALE → PALM

Final Check

Every neighboring pair differs by exactly one letter, and every word matches its clue. The compound pair DATE PALM neatly closes the puzzle: the top and bottom answers combine into the tree described by the final clue.