Poople #411 — September 29, 2026 (PAIN)

Start word PAIN · Par 5 · Easy

Three hints, one at a time

Show the par

The shortest route takes 5 steps.

Show a positional tip

Start by changing letter 1, counting from the left.

Show the first bridge word

LAIN

Full path

  1. Start Starting word
  2. 01 Letter 1: P → L
  3. 02 Letter 2: A → O
  4. 03 Letter 3: I → O
  5. 04 Letter 4: N → P
  6. 05 Letter 1: L → P

5 steps

The first step has 10 legal moves; 2 keep a shortest route to POOP.

Breadth-first search checks shorter distances before reaching POOP. A separate search verifies the minimum using the same accepted vocabulary. Every move changes one letter. Our word list may differ from the official game, so its shortest route may differ too.

Some puzzles have several equally short routes. We show the one our BFS returns, using a fixed alphabetical tie-break.

Bridge words

LAIN
verb. Past participle of lie.
LOIN
noun. The body region between the lower ribs and hips.
LOON
noun. A large waterbird that dives to catch fish.
LOOP
noun. A curved line or cord that doubles back on itself.