The route reaches the final bridge PLOP, then changes letter 2 to reach POOP. Its 5 moves match the dictionary distance calculated from the target.
Compare the first move
SHAM has 11 accepted one-letter neighbors in this vocabulary. 1 can begin a shortest route: SLAM. Each leaves exactly 4 moves to POOP.
Some longer openings are SCAM (6 total moves), SEAM (6 total moves), SHAG (6 total moves). These counts include the first move from SHAM.
Similarity can be misleading
SHAM → SLAM does not reduce the number of letters that differ from POOP, but still belongs to a minimum-move route. Reachable word connections matter more than matching letters immediately.
If a word is rejected
Enter the last accepted word in the solver, exclude the rejected word, and recalculate. A shorter dictionary can require more moves. Read the strategy guide for a worked detour example.
