Poople Answer — #431, October 19, 2026

October 19, 2026 · #431: PEST to POOP

PEST has a P in the correct first position for POOP, so only three positions differ at the start. The shortest checked ladder nevertheless takes five moves. Its unusual feature is that the first P is deliberately replaced with H and restored at the very end. That costs two changes in a position that initially looked finished. It illustrates why keeping every matching letter fixed is a useful idea to try, but cannot be treated as a rule for every Poople puzzle.

PEST to HEST changes only the first letter. The EST ending stays intact, and the route temporarily gives up its single target match. HEST is the less familiar stop in this ladder; make sure you have read H-E-S-T rather than rearranging the middle letters. The checked word is accepted by the game. From HEST, replace the second letter E with O to make HOST. The first H, third S, and final T stay where they were. This sets up a useful sequence with the same opening H.

HOST to HOOT replaces S with O in the third position. The middle pair is now OO, while the last letter remains T. Trying to move directly from HOST to HOOP would change S to O and T to P at once. That shortcut would use two letter changes and cannot count as a single move. HOOT is the stop that separates them. This is a helpful pair of lines to inspect if your own attempt looks almost the same as the published route but uses a different number of moves.

HOOT becomes HOOP by changing the fourth letter from T to P. At this point the final three letters match the target. The remaining change, HOOP to POOP, restores the first P that the opening move removed. Nothing else moves. The full ladder has six words and therefore five changes. Compare that count with the starting three mismatches: two additional changes were required to replace and later restore the first letter. The result comes from checking accepted intermediate words, rather than simply counting differences at the endpoints.

For a fresh attempt at this date, conceal the answer and keep just one clue: a matching first letter does not have to stay fixed throughout the route. Once you allow that possibility, look for a temporary opening that can carry you toward an OO middle. Reopen the second hint only if you want the actual first word. If you discovered another five-move answer, check every word and neighboring pair before comparing it with this one. A shortest ladder need not be unique, and a different valid route can be just as good.

After the opening change, the H stays fixed while E, S, and T each move directly to their target values. That creates a clear division: prepare the temporary opening, finish the last three positions, then restore P. You can check the entire ladder by following those four columns. No middle or ending position changes more than once in this particular solution.