Validate the row
Keep TINS as the current word until a candidate changes exactly one tile and exists in the accepted graph.
How to Solve Poople
Use distance, legal branching, and the POOP ending instead of guessing words that merely look close. Today's TINS puzzle provides a live worked example without revealing its first word.
Read the ending backward
COOP is one letter from POOP in today's calculated route. Use nearby ending shapes as destinations, not as illegal jumps.
Compare branches
TINS has 19 legal first moves; 5 preserve par. A legal move is not automatically an efficient one.
Reveal in layers
The spoiler-safe hint says to change tile 2. Try that direction before opening the answer or full Solver.
Worked shape: TINS without the answer
The route takes 5 moves and changes tile positions 2-1-3-4-1. It contains 1 sideways shape step and 0 temporary detours; those moves explain why visual closeness to POOP is an unreliable guide.
When a branch stalls, enter the word actually on the board into Next Word or Solver. Returning to the original start throws away information from a legal route you already built.