The route reaches the final bridge BOOP, then changes letter 1 to reach POOP. Its 9 moves match the dictionary distance calculated from the target.
Compare the first move
OWNS has 3 accepted one-letter neighbors in this vocabulary. 3 can begin a shortest route: AWNS, OWES, OWLS. Each leaves exactly 8 moves to POOP.
Similarity can be misleading
OWNS → OWES, OWES → OPES, OPES → OPTS, OPTS → OUTS, OUTS → BUTS do not reduce the number of letters that differ from POOP, but still belong 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.
