Poople #209 answer: TIDE to POOP
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STARTTIDE
→GOALPOOP
ANSWER & EXPLANATION
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Open one clue at a time. The full route stays closed until you ask for it.
01How many steps?
The shortest route takes 5 moves.
02Which letter changes first?
Change letter 3 first.
03What is the first word?
TIMETry TIME from TIDE.
04Show the complete answer
- 0TIDEstart
- 1TIMEletter 3 changes
- 2TOMEletter 2 changes
- 3POMEletter 1 changes
- 4POMPletter 4 changes
- 5POOPletter 3 changes
How this route works
Each move changes exactly one letter and stays within the word list used for this companion tool. Open the explanation when you are ready to see every move.
Explain every letter change (full spoiler)
- TIDE → TIME: change letter 3 from D to M.
- TIME → TOME: change letter 2 from I to O.
- TOME → POME: change letter 1 from T to P.
- POME → POMP: change letter 4 from E to P.
- POMP → POOP: change letter 3 from M to O.
How hard is this puzzle?
Open the analysis after you have tried a few moves. It includes the shortest distance and possible first words.
Reveal difficulty and first-move analysis
Tricky: 5 moves. The last 31 published puzzles average 5.8 moves. 0 were shorter, 16 had the same length, and 14 were longer.
First-move traps for TIDE
TIDE has 11 accepted words one letter away. 1 move closer to POOP; 10 do not.
Moves that get closer: TIME. Detours: AIDE, BIDE, HIDE, RIDE, SIDE, WIDE, TILE, TINE, TIRE, TIDY.