LinkedIn Crossclimb #690 Answer & Analysis 

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What connects ROOK to PAWN in LinkedIn Crossclimb 690 — and why? We've got you covered! Try the hints first — you might crack it before the reveal.

Puzzle Number

690

Date

2026-03-21

Top

ROOK

→

Bottom

PAWN

Answers for Clues

1.

Do a job in a restaurant

••••••

2.

Sources of milk

••••••

3.

Dogs have four of them

••••••

4.

Makes a sound like a raven

••••••

5.

Makes a sound like a dove

••••••

Word Ladder

ROOK
COOK
COOS
COWS
CAWS
PAWS
PAWN

♟️ LinkedIn Crossclimb 690 Answer — Rook → Cook → Coos → Cows → Caws → Paws → Pawn

Published: March 21, 2026 · Chess Pieces

The final answer: Two pieces on a chessboard. Once you see ROOK and PAWN bookending the ladder, the whole chain makes perfect sense.

The Puzzle Journey

I worked through each clue systematically. "Crows' sounds" — that has to be CAWS. And "Ocean sounds" gave me COOS right away. "Cows" — plural and clear, that's COWS. "An animal's feet" — PAWS. And "Do a job in a restaurant" — COOK.

Now I had all five words, but the real puzzle was figuring out the right order. Each step changes exactly one letter, so I laid them out to find the valid ladder:

  • ROOK → COOK (swap R→C)
  • COOK → COOS (swap K→S)
  • COOS → COWS (swap O→W)
  • COWS → CAWS (swap O→A)
  • CAWS → PAWS (swap C→P)
  • PAWS → PAWN (swap S→N)

One letter at a time, perfectly logical. The top and bottom — ROOK and PAWN — are two pieces on a chessboard.

♟️ Crossclimb 690 Answer

Two pieces on a chessboard: Rook and Pawn

ClueAnswer
Do a job in a restaurantCOOK
Sources of milkCOWS
Dogs have four of themPAWS
Makes a sound like a ravenCAWS
Makes a sound like a doveCOOS

Full Ladder

ROOK  (Chess piece)
  ↓ COOK
  ↓ COOS
  ↓ COWS
  ↓ CAWS
  ↓ PAWS
PAWN  (Chess piece)

🧠 Lessons from This Puzzle

  1. The final clue is the key. "Two pieces on a chessboard" immediately tells you the top and bottom. Once you know ROOK and PAWN, you can work backward to build the ladder.

  2. Listen to the birds. "Makes a sound like a raven" = CAWS and "Makes a sound like a dove" = COOS are very specific animal sound words. Once you spot the bird-sound cluster, the middle of the ladder practically solves itself.

  3. One-letter swaps are predictable. COOS → COWS (O→W), COWS → CAWS (O→A), CAWS → PAWS (C→P). Each step is a minimal change that matches the clue perfectly.

  4. Think about word endings. COOK, COOS, COWS, CAWS, PAWS all end in similar -OW/-AW sounds. Once you see the phonetic pattern, arranging them into a valid ladder is straightforward.

FAQ

Q1: What is the answer to LinkedIn Crossclimb 690? The answer is "Two pieces on a chessboard: Rook and Pawn." The ladder connects them: Rook → Cook → Coos → Cows → Caws → Paws → Pawn.

Q2: Why are Rook and Pawn the answer? ROOK and PAWN are two of the six piece types in chess. They bookend the word ladder perfectly — R→C→S→W→A→P→N are the changing letters, one at a time.

Q3: How does Crossclimb differ from Wordle? Wordle is purely about guessing one word. Crossclimb is a ladder puzzle where each step is a real word that differs by exactly one letter from the previous step, and each word must fit a given clue. The final answer reveals a theme (here: two chess pieces) that ties everything together.

Q4: What does "Caws" mean? "Caws" is the third person singular present tense of "caw" — the harsh, loud sound that crows and certain other birds make. It's a distinctive, croaking sound quite different from the softer "coo" of doves.

Q5: What animal has paws? Dogs, cats, bears, foxes, wolves, squirrels, raccoons, and many other mammals have paws — padded feet without claws. So "Dogs have four of them" = PAWS is a classic definition clue.

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