What’s the difference between ladder and latter?

Well, a ladder is that vertical thing meant for climbing. Ladders can be made from wood, metal, rope or basically any material that gets you from one point to another in any precarious fashion. Apparently, some people call a run in one’s stockings/tights a ladder. The Grammar Chicken is pretty sure this is a British thing and possibly a very old British thing…

Latter, with two T’s, isn’t tangible. You use it in a sentence when referring to the last thing mentioned.

In this example, The Grammar Chicken will take the flight of stairs, not the ladder. SO the former (the first noun mentioned), not the latter (the last noun mentioned). Get it? First, last? Former, latter? You get it.

Quick tip: Remember that LATTER and LAST both have T’s.