About Break 5

Break 5 is the 5 minute word game you can play in a 5 minute break.

Every day at midnight (UK time) a new puzzle appears: two five-letter words. Turn the first into the second by changing one letter at a time, where every rung of the ladder is a real English word. Everyone gets the same puzzle, and the ten fastest solvers make the day's leaderboard.

How to play

• Press Play. The clock starts the moment the words are revealed. Finish within 5 minutes to earn the Broke 5 badge.
• Change exactly one letter to make a new, real word. Type the letter, press Enter.
• Reach the target word. Fastest time wins; fewer steps break ties.
• Par is the length of the shortest possible ladder. Matching it is a nice flex; you don't have to.
• Made a wrong turn? Undo removes your last rung (the clock keeps running).

Fair play

Times are measured on our server from reveal to finish, so nothing on your device can shave seconds off. Only signed-in players are ranked, one account per email. Suspiciously fast results are held back for review.

Dictionary

We use our own list of around 8,500 five-letter English words (built from the SCOWL and ENABLE word lists). Think a word is missing or shouldn't be there? Let us know.