The route reaches the final bridge PROP, then changes letter 2 to reach POOP. Its 8 moves match the dictionary distance calculated from the target.
Compare the first move
ARTS has 6 accepted one-letter neighbors in this vocabulary. 4 can begin a shortest route: ANTS, APTS, ARKS, ARMS. Each leaves exactly 7 moves to POOP.
Some longer openings are ACTS (9 total moves), ARCS (9 total moves). These counts include the first move from ARTS.
Similarity can be misleading
ARTS → ARKS, ARKS → IRKS, IRKS → IRIS, IRIS → BRIS 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.
