Poople #191: ALAS to POOP

Path analysis

This route reaches POOP in 8 moves. Breadth-first search reaches every route with fewer moves first, so POOP cannot be reached in fewer than 8 moves from ALAS.

Moves

8

Difficulty

Brutal

Shortest paths

6

The dictionary has 6 equally short routes; the route below is one of them.

1. Move 1: ALAS → ALMS — change the 3rd letter from A to M.
2. Move 2: ALMS → AIMS — change the 2nd letter from L to I.
3. Move 3: AIMS → DIMS — change the 1st letter from A to D.
4. Move 4: DIMS → DOMS — change the 2nd letter from I to O.
5. Move 5: DOMS → DOME — change the 4th letter from S to E.
6. Move 6: DOME → POME — change the 1st letter from D to P.
7. Move 7: POME → POMP — change the 4th letter from E to P.
8. Move 8: POMP → POOP — change the 3rd letter from M to O.