Poople #3942026-09-12

Poople #394: AHEM to POOP

The shortest 8-step ladder from AHEM to POOP, plus the full solution and a replay of puzzle #394.

Play Poople #394

#394 AHEM

A
H
E
M
start

Poople #394 answer: AHEM to POOP

Hidden

Answer path

ahem
them
teem
deem
deep
peep
prep
prop
poop
8 movesBrutalFirst hint: change the 1st letter.

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 AHEM.

Moves
8
Difficulty
Brutal
Shortest paths
13

The dictionary has 13 equally short routes; the route below is one of them.

  1. Move 1: AHEM → THEM — change the 1st letter from A to T.
  2. Move 2: THEM → TEEM — change the 2nd letter from H to E.
  3. Move 3: TEEM → DEEM — change the 1st letter from T to D.
  4. Move 4: DEEM → DEEP — change the 4th letter from M to P.
  5. Move 5: DEEP → PEEP — change the 1st letter from D to P.
  6. Move 6: PEEP → PREP — change the 2nd letter from E to R.
  7. Move 7: PREP → PROP — change the 3rd letter from E to O.
  8. Move 8: PROP → POOP — change the 2nd letter from R to O.

This Poople puzzle starts from AHEM and reaches POOP by changing one letter at a time. The shortest known path takes 8 moves.