Poople #449 answer & hints
Ladder 1
PANT → POOP
PANTPOOP
Hint 1 Tap to reveal
The shortest path takes 6 steps after PANT.
Hint 2 Tap to reveal
Your first move turns PANT into a word matching P A _ T.
Hint 3 Tap to reveal
The word just before POOP is POMP.
Show the shortest path Spoiler
6 steps
startPANT
step 1PART
step 2PORT
step 3PORE
step 4POME
step 5POMP
step 6POOP
There are 21 different shortest paths of 6 steps; this one uses the most common words.
Reasoning & candidate comparison Contains the answer
Why the 6-step PANT ladder works
- Start at PANT. A breadth-first search from POOP over the 2,398 words in the captured official dictionary places PANT at distance 6. Each edge changes exactly one letter, so no shorter route exists in this captured graph.
- PANT → PART: change letter 3 from N to R. The shortest remaining distance falls from 6 to 5.
- PART → PORT: change letter 2 from A to O. The shortest remaining distance falls from 5 to 4.
- PORT → PORE: change letter 4 from T to E. The shortest remaining distance falls from 4 to 3.
- PORE → POME: change letter 3 from R 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.
- 6 of the 13 accepted one-letter neighbours of PANT can start a shortest route: CANT, PENT, PART, PAST, PANE, PANS. Compare remaining distance, not just how similar the spelling looks to POOP.
| Candidate / approach | Assessment | Why |
|---|---|---|
| PANT → PART | Keeps a shortest route | PART is in the captured game dictionary and changes one letter. It needs at least 5 more steps, making 6 from PANT. |
| PANT → CANT | Keeps a shortest route | CANT is in the captured game dictionary and changes one letter. It needs at least 5 more steps, making 6 from PANT. |
| PANT → GANT | Valid word, longer route | GANT is in the captured game dictionary and changes one letter. It needs at least 6 more steps, making 7 from PANT, 1 more than the optimum. |
| PANT → RANT | Valid word, longer route | RANT is in the captured game dictionary and changes one letter. It needs at least 6 more steps, making 7 from PANT, 1 more than the optimum. |
What this does and does not establish
- This is our reproducible graph analysis using the dictionary snapshot captured 2026-11-07 (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 #449 answer card Spoiler
Every answer for #449
All Poople #449 answers in one table Spoiler
| Ladder | Clue | Shortest path |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | PANT → POOP | PANT → PART → PORT → PORE → POME → POMP → POOP |
Poople #449 FAQ
What date was Poople #449?
Poople #449 was the puzzle for Friday, November 6, 2026.
How do I check Poople #449 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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