Poople #2: OPTS to POOP

Path analysis

This route reaches POOP in 6 moves. Breadth-first search reaches every route with fewer moves first, so POOP cannot be reached in fewer than 6 moves from OPTS.

Moves

6

Difficulty

Hard

Shortest paths

4

The dictionary has 4 equally short routes; the route below is one of them.

1. Move 1: OPTS → OATS — change the 2nd letter from P to A.
2. Move 2: OATS → BATS — change the 1st letter from O to B.
3. Move 3: BATS → BOTS — change the 2nd letter from A to O.
4. Move 4: BOTS → BOOS — change the 3rd letter from T to O.
5. Move 5: BOOS → BOOP — change the 4th letter from S to P.
6. Move 6: BOOP → POOP — change the 1st letter from B to P.