Poople #442 answer & hints
Ladder 1
FUSS → POOP
FUSSPOOP
Hint 1 Tap to reveal
The shortest path takes 6 steps after FUSS.
Hint 2 Tap to reveal
Your first move turns FUSS into a word matching _ U S S.
Hint 3 Tap to reveal
The word just before POOP is BOOP.
Show the shortest path Spoiler
6 steps
startFUSS
step 1MUSS
step 2MOSS
step 3BOSS
step 4BOOS
step 5BOOP
step 6POOP
There are 8 different shortest paths of 6 steps; this one uses the most common words.
Reasoning & candidate comparison Contains the answer
Why the 6-step FUSS ladder works
- Start at FUSS. A breadth-first search from POOP over the 2,398 words in the captured official dictionary places FUSS at distance 6. Each edge changes exactly one letter, so no shorter route exists in this captured graph.
- FUSS → MUSS: change letter 1 from F to M. The shortest remaining distance falls from 6 to 5.
- MUSS → MOSS: change letter 2 from U to O. The shortest remaining distance falls from 5 to 4.
- MOSS → BOSS: change letter 1 from M to B. The shortest remaining distance falls from 4 to 3.
- BOSS → BOOS: change letter 3 from S to O. The shortest remaining distance falls from 3 to 2.
- BOOS → BOOP: change letter 4 from S to P. The shortest remaining distance falls from 2 to 1.
- BOOP → POOP: change letter 1 from B to P. The shortest remaining distance falls from 1 to 0.
- 3 of the 9 accepted one-letter neighbours of FUSS can start a shortest route: CUSS, MUSS, SUSS. Compare remaining distance, not just how similar the spelling looks to POOP.
| Candidate / approach | Assessment | Why |
|---|---|---|
| FUSS → MUSS | Keeps a shortest route | MUSS is in the captured game dictionary and changes one letter. It needs at least 5 more steps, making 6 from FUSS. |
| FUSS → CUSS | Keeps a shortest route | CUSS is in the captured game dictionary and changes one letter. It needs at least 5 more steps, making 6 from FUSS. |
| FUSS → PUSS | Valid word, longer route | PUSS is in the captured game dictionary and changes one letter. It needs at least 6 more steps, making 7 from FUSS, 1 more than the optimum. |
| FUSS → WUSS | Valid word, longer route | WUSS is in the captured game dictionary and changes one letter. It needs at least 6 more steps, making 7 from FUSS, 1 more than the optimum. |
What this does and does not establish
- This is our reproducible graph analysis using the dictionary snapshot captured 2026-10-30 (SHA-256 4e15f14a91768bd0b3c7104ed443dfd4499cbd0b4f7cdcbd1525fa83bfb6f5f9). It is not a claim that Poople published this exact route, or that its dictionary was identical on every historical date.
Show the Poople #442 answer card Spoiler
Every answer for #442
All Poople #442 answers in one table Spoiler
| Ladder | Clue | Shortest path |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | FUSS → POOP | FUSS → MUSS → MOSS → BOSS → BOOS → BOOP → POOP |
Poople #442 FAQ
What date was Poople #442?
Poople #442 was the puzzle for Friday, October 30, 2026.
How do I check Poople #442 without spoilers?
Open the hints one at a time on this page. There are 3 hints across 1 ladder, ordered from a gentle nudge to the full solution, and each shortest path stays hidden until you tap to show it.
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