Poople #443 answer & hints
Ladder 1
FUSE → POOP
FUSEPOOP
Hint 1 Tap to reveal
The shortest path takes 6 steps after FUSE.
Hint 2 Tap to reveal
Your first move turns FUSE into a word matching _ U S E.
Hint 3 Tap to reveal
The word just before POOP is POMP.
Show the shortest path Spoiler
6 steps
startFUSE
step 1RUSE
step 2ROSE
step 3POSE
step 4POME
step 5POMP
step 6POOP
There is only one shortest path (6 steps).
Reasoning & candidate comparison Contains the answer
Why the 6-step FUSE ladder works
- Start at FUSE. A breadth-first search from POOP over the 2,398 words in the captured official dictionary places FUSE at distance 6. Each edge changes exactly one letter, so no shorter route exists in this captured graph.
- FUSE → RUSE: change letter 1 from F to R. The shortest remaining distance falls from 6 to 5.
- RUSE → ROSE: change letter 2 from U to O. The shortest remaining distance falls from 5 to 4.
- ROSE → POSE: change letter 1 from R to P. The shortest remaining distance falls from 4 to 3.
- POSE → POME: change letter 3 from S to M. The shortest remaining distance falls from 3 to 2.
- POME → POMP: change letter 4 from E to P. The shortest remaining distance falls from 2 to 1.
- POMP → POOP: change letter 3 from M to O. The shortest remaining distance falls from 1 to 0.
- 1 of the 5 accepted one-letter neighbours of FUSE can start a shortest route: RUSE. Compare remaining distance, not just how similar the spelling looks to POOP.
| Candidate / approach | Assessment | Why |
|---|---|---|
| FUSE → RUSE | Keeps a shortest route | RUSE is in the captured game dictionary and changes one letter. It needs at least 5 more steps, making 6 from FUSE. |
| FUSE → MUSE | Valid word, longer route | MUSE is in the captured game dictionary and changes one letter. It needs at least 6 more steps, making 7 from FUSE, 1 more than the optimum. |
| FUSE → FUME | Valid word, longer route | FUME is in the captured game dictionary and changes one letter. It needs at least 6 more steps, making 7 from FUSE, 1 more than the optimum. |
What this does and does not establish
- This is our reproducible graph analysis using the dictionary snapshot captured 2026-11-01 (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 #443 answer card Spoiler
Every answer for #443
All Poople #443 answers in one table Spoiler
| Ladder | Clue | Shortest path |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | FUSE → POOP | FUSE → RUSE → ROSE → POSE → POME → POMP → POOP |
Poople #443 FAQ
What date was Poople #443?
Poople #443 was the puzzle for Saturday, October 31, 2026.
How do I check Poople #443 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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