Poople Answer — #442, October 30, 2026

October 30, 2026 · #442: FUSS to POOP

For October 30, 2026, puzzle #442, the checked route takes FUSS to POOP in 6 moves. The starting word differs from the target in 4 positions. The solution needs 2 more changes than that starting difference count, because accepted intermediate words require some positions to change more than once. Comparing those two counts explains what the route has to accomplish. The endpoint letters give a lower limit, while the words between them determine whether that limit can actually be reached.

The first letter follows F → C → P and changes 2 times. The second letter follows U → O and changes 1 time. The third letter follows S → B → O and changes 2 times. The fourth letter follows S → P and changes 1 time. Add the changes in those four columns to get 6. This accounts for every move in the displayed answer without counting the supplied start as an extra submission. A letter history shows the order in which a position changes, rather than suggesting that you can skip the words between those changes. Keep the complete numbered ladder beside it if you are checking an attempt: each neighboring pair must differ in just one column, with the other three letters staying where they were.

The route opens with FUSS to CUSS changes the first letter from F to C; CUSS to CUBS changes the third letter from S to B. Begin with FUSS, enter CUSS, and compare the unchanged positions before continuing. The word after CUSS is CUBS; it follows as a separate move, rather than being a direct jump from the starting word. These opening words are exact spellings from the checked ladder. If a word is unfamiliar, read its four letters individually instead of substituting a similar word or moving a letter into a different position.

At the finish, COOS to COOP changes the fourth letter from S to P; COOP to POOP changes the first letter from C to P. The last word before the target is COOP, which needs exactly one final letter change to reach POOP. Count the arrows into the new words: this answer contains 7 words and 6 arrows. The starting FUSS is printed by the puzzle, while the arrow into POOP is included in your move count. Keeping that distinction clear helps when your own ladder appears to have the right words but a different reported total.

To revisit this particular start, hide the explanation and rebuild from FUSS. Use the letter histories as a small reminder of which positions stay fixed and which need temporary changes, then try to find the actual intermediate words yourself. You can reopen the first hint for the minimum move count or the next hint for the opening word. A longer route can still be legal, but 6 is the checked minimum here. The displayed ladder is one shortest solution; a different route of the same length can be equally valid if every word and every one-letter change is accepted.