← Back to today’s gamePUZZLE #33 · SEP 16, 2025

FATE to POOP.

6 moves. 19 equally short routes. Here is one way through.

  1. STARTfateYour starting word
  2. 01dateF → D
  3. 02dameT → M
  4. 03domeA → O
  5. 04pomeD → P
  6. 05pompE → P
  7. 06poopM → O · Made it!

The first move matters.

FATE has 17 valid one-letter neighbors in this dictionary. 6 of them can begin a shortest path:

DATEFAMEFAREFATSPATESATE

Each of these leaves 5 moves to POOP. The other 11 neighbors are valid moves too, but cannot reach the target in the minimum from this starting word.

Follow the changes

The highlighted letter beside each step shows exactly which position changed. This historical solution uses the original puzzle’s dictionary and minimum move count. Other shortest routes can take different intermediate words.

Explore more past puzzles →
Explore shortest alternatives (19 total)

Showing 19 of 19 paths.

FATE → DATE → DAME → DOME → POME → POMP → POOP

FATE → DATE → DOTE → DOME → POME → POMP → POOP

FATE → FAME → CAME → CAMP → COMP → COOP → POOP

FATE → FAME → CAME → CAMP → COMP → POMP → POOP

FATE → FAME → CAME → COME → COMP → COOP → POOP

FATE → FAME → CAME → COME → COMP → POMP → POOP

FATE → FAME → CAME → COME → POME → POMP → POOP

FATE → FAME → DAME → DOME → POME → POMP → POOP

FATE → FAME → SAME → SOME → POME → POMP → POOP

FATE → FAME → TAME → TOME → POME → POMP → POOP

FATE → FARE → FORE → PORE → POME → POMP → POOP

FATE → FARE → PARE → PORE → POME → POMP → POOP

FATE → FATS → BATS → BOTS → BOOS → BOOP → POOP

FATE → FATS → CATS → COTS → COOS → COOP → POOP

FATE → PATE → PALE → PALL → POLL → POOL → POOP

FATE → PATE → PALE → POLE → POLL → POOL → POOP

FATE → PATE → PALE → POLE → POME → POMP → POOP

FATE → PATE → PARE → PORE → POME → POMP → POOP

FATE → SATE → SAME → SOME → POME → POMP → POOP