Crossclimb is the kind of game that makes you feel like a genius one second and a total idiot the next. If you’ve spent any time on the New York Times app lately, you know exactly what I’m talking about. It’s that daily puzzle where you have to change one letter at a time to get from the top word to the bottom word, basically a word ladder on steroids. But every now and then, a specific clue stops everyone in their tracks. Lately, it’s been the group of pigs crossclimb prompt.
Most people see "group of pigs" and immediately think "herd." Or maybe "farm."
Nope.
In the world of Crossclimb, those aren't the answers. If you’re stuck on this specific level, you’re likely staring at a four-letter or five-letter gap and wondering if you’ve forgotten basic English. You haven't. Collective nouns for animals are notoriously weird, and when it comes to pigs, the terminology changes depending on how old they are or whether they're even in a group at all.
The Mystery of the Group of Pigs Crossclimb Answer
So, what is the actual word? In most instances of this specific puzzle, the answer is Drove.
A drove of pigs.
It sounds like a verb, right? Like you drove a car to the store. But a "drove" is the technically correct term for a group of pigs or cattle being driven in a body. It’s one of those bits of trivia that sits in the back of your brain until a crossword or a game like Crossclimb drags it out into the light.
But here is where it gets tricky. Crossclimb is dynamic. Depending on the day or the specific ladder you’re climbing, "drove" might not fit the letter count. If you need a different word for a group of pigs, you might be looking for Drift.
Yes, a drift of pigs.
I’m serious. A "drift" usually refers specifically to a group of young pigs. If they are older, you might call them a Sounder (though that’s usually reserved for wild swine or boars). If they are just babies, it’s a Litter.
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Language is messy.
Why Collective Nouns Rule Word Games
The creators of games like Crossclimb and the NYT Connections love collective nouns because they are "low-frequency" words. We don't use them in daily conversation. When was the last time you told a friend you saw a "business of ferrets" or a "murder of crows"? Probably never, unless you were trying to be the most annoying person at brunch.
Because we don't use them, they provide the perfect level of difficulty for a puzzle. They feel familiar enough that you think you should know them, but obscure enough to make you reach for a hint.
When you're navigating a group of pigs crossclimb puzzle, you have to look at the letters you already have from the words above and below. If you have an 'D' at the start, it's almost certainly Drove. If you have an 'L' at the start, it's Litter.
Navigating the Difficulty Spike
Crossclimb isn't just about knowing the word; it’s about the logic of the ladder.
The game relies on "Levensthein distance," which is a fancy computer science term for how many edits it takes to change one word into another. In Crossclimb, that distance is always one. You change one letter, and the word must still be a valid English word.
If your target is Drove, the word before it might have been "Grove" or "Drove." If the word before it was "Drone," you just swap the 'N' for a 'V'.
It’s satisfying. It’s also infuriating.
I’ve seen people complain on social media that these clues are too obscure. But that's the point of the New York Times gaming ecosystem. It’s designed to be a "snackable" bit of friction in your day. It’s meant to be shared. That’s why you see those little green and yellow squares from Wordle or the grid patterns from Connections all over your feed.
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Common Pig-Related Words in Puzzles
If you play these games regularly, you should probably just memorize a few of these. They come up more often than you’d think.
- Sow: An adult female pig. (3 letters)
- Boar: An uncastrated male pig. (4 letters)
- Shoat: A young pig, especially one just weaned. (5 letters)
- Swine: The general term for pigs. (5 letters)
- Farrow: A litter of pigs. (6 letters)
Honestly, if you have these in your back pocket, you’ll breeze through most agricultural-themed clues.
The Evolution of Crossclimb Strategy
When Crossclimb first launched, people treated it like a standard word ladder. But the strategy has shifted. Expert players now look at the bottom of the ladder first.
Why? Because the bottom word dictates the vowels you need to work toward. If your "group of pigs" is sitting in the middle of the ladder, and the bottom word is "Bread," you know you need to transition toward those 'EA' vowels eventually.
If the answer is Drove, you’ve got an 'O' and an 'E'. You need to find a way to flip those into the 'EA' of "Bread."
It’s like a game of chess played with the dictionary.
What This Says About Our Brains
There is a reason we get obsessed with finding the answer to a group of pigs crossclimb clue. It’s called the Zeigarnik Effect. This is a psychological phenomenon where our brains remember uncompleted tasks better than completed ones.
Until you fill in that word, your brain is literally stuck in a loop. It’s an "open loop" that creates a mild form of mental tension. When you finally type in D-R-O-V-E and the box turns green, your brain releases a hit of dopamine.
Success.
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It’s a tiny victory, sure. But in a world that feels increasingly chaotic, solving a word ladder is a rare moment of absolute order. There is a right answer. There is a logic. You can win.
How to Get Better at Crossclimb
If you're tired of getting stuck, the best thing you can do is broaden your "passive vocabulary." These are words you recognize when you see them but don't necessarily use when you're talking.
- Read more long-form non-fiction.
- Pay attention to "terms of venery" (the fancy name for animal groups).
- Practice word ladders without the clues to get used to letter patterns.
Most people fail because they get "tunnel vision." They see "group of pigs" and their brain locks onto "herd." They can't let it go. To be good at Crossclimb, you have to be willing to throw away your first three ideas.
The first idea is usually the one the puzzle designer wants you to have so they can trap you.
Putting It All Together
Next time you open the app and see a clue about pigs, don't panic. Check the letter count. Look at the letters you've already locked in from the rungs above.
If it's four letters: Sows or Boar or Hogs.
If it's five letters: Drove or Drift.
Usually, the game is looking for Drove. It's the "classic" answer. It’s the one that makes you feel like you’ve learned something today.
Word games are having a massive resurgence for a reason. They connect us. Whether you're texting your sister about how "Drove" is a ridiculous word or you're competing on a leaderboard with coworkers, these puzzles are the new water cooler.
Actionable Steps for Your Next Game
- Audit your vowels: If you are stuck, look at the vowels in the word above. You only get to change one letter. If the word above has an 'I' and the word below has an 'O', the "group of pigs" answer almost certainly has to bridge that gap.
- Think like a farmer: Traditional animal terms are the bread and butter of NYT puzzles. Think "flock," "herd," "drove," "gaggle," and "pride."
- Work backward: If you can't figure out the pig word, try to figure out the word below it. Often, seeing the next step makes the previous one obvious.
- Don't use hints immediately: Give your brain at least ten minutes of "incubation" time. Go do something else. Often, the answer will just pop into your head while you're doing the dishes.
- Study the "Terms of Venery": Spend five minutes on Wikipedia looking at collective nouns for animals. It’s a goldmine for word games and will save you hours of frustration in the long run.