Poople #40: SPIN 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 SPIN.

Moves

6

Difficulty

Hard

Shortest paths

16

The dictionary has 16 equally short routes; the route below is one of them.

1. Move 1: SPIN → SHIN — change the 2nd letter from P to H.
2. Move 2: SHIN → CHIN — change the 1st letter from S to C.
3. Move 3: CHIN → CHIP — change the 4th letter from N to P.
4. Move 4: CHIP → CHOP — change the 3rd letter from I to O.
5. Move 5: CHOP → COOP — change the 2nd letter from H to O.
6. Move 6: COOP → POOP — change the 1st letter from C to P.