LinkedIn Crossclimb #897 Answer
Puzzle #897 · Wednesday, October 14, 2026
LinkedIn Crossclimb #897 answer: top to bottom: NINE → NICE → MICE → MACE → MALE → MOLE → HOLE.
The answer
5 rungs of 4 letters, then the top and bottom words. 7 steps. Press Next step to begin.
The finished ladder, top to bottom: 5 rungs of 4 letters, and every word is one letter away from the next.
Top and bottom rows: A hyphenated word describing a golf course that's half as long as usual.
- nineTop row
- nicePleasant, or the name of a city in France
- miceComputer peripherals used for clicking
- maceMedieval club, often with spiky bits
- maleLike a bull or ram, but not a cow or ewe
- moleCritter that digs tunnels
- holeBottom row
Other LinkedIn games today: Mini Sudoku · Patches · Wend · Zip · Queens · Tango · Pinpoint.
Today's ladder climbs through 5 words of 4 letters, plus a top and a bottom word that are not clued at all. 3 different letter positions change across the ladder.
Hints
Hint 1: where to start
The quickest clue is "Critter that digs tunnels", a 4-letter word starting with M.
Hint 2: a solid foothold
Below the top word, NICE is the first clued rung, and MOLE is the last one above the bottom word; between them the swaps happen at positions 1, 2, 3 and 2.
Hint 3: nearly there
NINE goes on top and HOLE at the bottom; each differs from its neighbouring rung at position 3 for the top word and 1 for the bottom one.