Sharpen, as one’s skills

The answer to “Sharpen, as one’s skills” in LinkedIn Crossclimb on Friday, August 7, 2026 is HONE — a 4-letter word, and rung 5 of that day's ladder. Crossclimb is a word ladder, so this isn't just a trivia answer: HONE has to fit both the clue and the one-letter chain running through the puzzle. Below you'll find why it fits, exactly where it sits in the ladder, and links to the day's other clues if more than one rung is giving you trouble.

“Sharpen, as one’s skills” answer

The Crossclimb answer for “Sharpen, as one’s skills” (Friday, August 7, 2026) is:

HONE

You can also reveal it one letter at a time with the tiles above if you'd rather keep some of the challenge.

Why the answer is HONE

From HOLE you change the third letter of HOLE from L to N to reach HONE, then change the first letter of HONE from H to G to get GONE.

How HONE fits the ladder

Crossclimb stacks 7 words where each one changes a single letter from the word above it. Here's the full ladder for August 7, 2026, with “Sharpen, as one’s skills” highlighted:

HONE sits at rung 5: from HOLE you change the third letter of HOLE from L to N to reach HONE, then change the first letter of HONE from H to G to get GONE. Each neighbouring rung is exactly one letter away, which is how you can derive HONE even if the clue alone stumps you — solve a neighbour and the single-letter rule points straight here.

More clues from this Crossclimb puzzle

Stuck on another rung? Here are the other clues from the August 7, 2026 ladder — tap any for its answer and where it sits in the chain:

• A system to encrypt words to send a secret message → CODE
• The most frequently appearing value in a data set → MODE
• Burrowing animal, or a unit of measurement in chemistry → MOLE
• Something that can be dug in the ground → HOLE

Want the whole ladder in one place, including the top and bottom words? The full August 7, 2026 solution is on that day's Crossclimb answers page, and today's live Crossclimb answers are always one tap from the main Crossclimb page.

About LinkedIn Crossclimb

Crossclimb is one of LinkedIn's daily games: solve short trivia clues to fill a ladder of words, where each word changes just one letter from the one above it, then order the rungs so the chain holds. Completing the middle rungs unlocks the top and bottom words, which are easier because they must fit the letters already in place. A new puzzle drops every day at midnight Pacific Time (3:00 a.m. Eastern), and it's free to play at LinkedIn Games. This was a Friday puzzle.

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