___ and hearty (in good physical condition)

HALE is the answer to "___ and hearty (in good physical condition)" in LinkedIn Crossclimb on Friday, October 9, 2026. It has four letters and sits on rung 1, just under the top word.

"___ and hearty (in good physical condition)" answer

The answer for Friday's puzzle is:

HALE

The rest of the ladder at the top of the page stays hidden until you tap a rung, so you can check this word without giving away the others.

Why HALE fits

This one is a fill-in-the-blank. With HALE in the gap, you get "HALE and hearty."

If you've already solved HARE, change its third letter from R to L. The top word, HALF, unlocks once the middle rungs are in order, and it differs from HALE only in the fourth letter, F instead of E.

The full ladder for October 9, 2026

Here's every word from that day, with HALE marked.

Other clues from the October 9 Crossclimb

The other four clues from that day, each linked to its own page:

• Long-eared animal related to the rabbit → HARE
• Challenge to do something risky → DARE
• 10/10/26, for example → DATE
• Lavish affection (on) → DOTE

For the whole solution in one place, top and bottom words included, see the October 9 Crossclimb answers. Today's puzzle is on the main Crossclimb page.

About LinkedIn Crossclimb

Crossclimb is LinkedIn's daily word-ladder game. You answer short trivia clues, then put the words in order so each one differs from the next by a single letter; getting that right unlocks the top and bottom words. A new ladder goes live at midnight Pacific (3 a.m. Eastern), and it's free to play on LinkedIn.

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