At 08:00 UTC daily (16:00 Shanghai). Homepage dates show the current UTC calendar day; dated guides identify the puzzle’s UTC start date and number. The active interval is shown explicitly.
Is the displayed route the only answer?
No. Several routes can tie for minimum moves. The opening comparison identifies words that can start a shortest route in the current vocabulary.
How is shortest verified?
We recompute distances from POOP with breadth-first search whenever the vocabulary snapshot changes. Reference routes are kept only if they remain valid and match that distance.
Why might the official game reject a word?
A dictionary snapshot can differ from the live game. Use the solver’s exclusion field to try another route. Automated word-list validation is separate from hand-testing in the official game.