Poople #6: NEAR to POOP

Path analysis

This route reaches POOP in 5 moves. Breadth-first search reaches every route with fewer moves first, so POOP cannot be reached in fewer than 5 moves from NEAR.

Moves

5

Difficulty

Hard

Shortest paths

2

The dictionary has 2 equally short routes; the route below is one of them.

1. Move 1: NEAR → BEAR — change the 1st letter from N to B.
2. Move 2: BEAR → BOAR — change the 2nd letter from E to O.
3. Move 3: BOAR → BOOR — change the 3rd letter from A to O.
4. Move 4: BOOR → POOR — change the 1st letter from B to P.
5. Move 5: POOR → POOP — change the 4th letter from R to P.