Poople #57: AREA 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 AREA.

Moves

8

Difficulty

Brutal

Shortest paths

3

The dictionary has 3 equally short routes; the route below is one of them.

1. Move 1: AREA → ARIA — change the 3rd letter from E to I.
2. Move 2: ARIA → ARID — change the 4th letter from A to D.
3. Move 3: ARID → GRID — change the 1st letter from A to G.
4. Move 4: GRID → GRAD — change the 3rd letter from I to A.
5. Move 5: GRAD → GOAD — change the 2nd letter from R to O.
6. Move 6: GOAD → GOOD — change the 3rd letter from A to O.
7. Move 7: GOOD → GOOP — change the 4th letter from D to P.
8. Move 8: GOOP → POOP — change the 1st letter from G to P.