wordslast

Wordslast is a term used in puzzle and linguistics contexts to denote the final word produced in a constrained word sequence, such as a word ladder or word chain. In a typical word ladder, a starting word is transformed into a target word by altering a single letter at a time, with every intermediate step required to be a valid word. The wordslast is the terminal word of that sequence, marking the moment the puzzle is completed.

In broader practice, the concept may apply to any deterministic process that strings together valid words under defined rules, including computer-generated word sequences and classroom activities designed to teach word formation and spelling.

Examples illustrate its use. In a ladder from cold to warm, the sequence cold -> cord -> card -> ward -> warm has wordslast 'warm'. In a ladder from cat to dog, cat -> cot -> dot -> dog ends with wordslast 'dog'.

Etymology and status: Wordslast is a neologism formed from the words "word" and "last." It is used mainly in informal puzzle discussions and is not a standard term in formal linguistics. The concept is primarily of practical interest to puzzle designers, solvers, and language educators.

See also: Word ladder, word chain, lexicon, language games.