Missed it? The replay link opens FUND as a playable challenge before this page reveals the answer.
Calculated from the current word graph
FUND route profile
Par5 moves6 words including start and target
Shortest routes3Exact routes in the current accepted graph
Legal first moves41 keep par
Opening shapenarrow openingDetailed route analysis is inside the full reveal
Spoiler controls
Choose how much to reveal
The direction names no answer word. Next word reveals one move. Full answer opens the route and every branch analysis. Close a panel to hide it again.
Reveal a direction, not a word
The current row reads F-U-N-D. Change position 2 and keep positions 1, 3, 4 fixed. Look for a vowel-to-vowel change. Only one first move preserves the shortest length.
Reveal only the next word
FUND → FOND. Change tile 2. The remaining route stays inside the full reveal.
Reveal the complete 5-move answer
FUND -> FOND -> FOOD -> HOOD -> HOOP -> POOP
Step 0FUNDStart
Step 1FONDBridge
Step 2FOODBridge
Step 3HOODBridge
Step 4HOOPBridge
Step 5POOPTarget
Route anatomy
What changes at every step
Letter positions: 2-3-1-4-1. Letter changes: U>O, N>O, F>H, D>P, H>P.
Step 1FUND -> FOND
Tile 2 changes U to O; the move is closer by letter shape. FOND has 9 legal neighbors, 1 shortest continuation, and 4 moves remaining. Other legal exits from FUND include FEND, FIND, FUNK.
Step 2FOND -> FOOD
Tile 3 changes N to O; the move is closer by letter shape. FOOD has 10 legal neighbors, 3 shortest continuations, and 3 moves remaining. Other legal exits from FOND include FOLD, FONT, FORD, BOND.
Step 3FOOD -> HOOD
Tile 1 changes F to H; the move is sideways by letter shape. HOOD has 11 legal neighbors, 1 shortest continuation, and 2 moves remaining. Other legal exits from FOOD include FOOL, GOOD, FOOT, MOOD.
Step 4HOOD -> HOOP
Tile 4 changes D to P; the move is closer by letter shape. HOOP has 8 legal neighbors, 1 shortest continuation, and 1 move remaining. Other legal exits from HOOD include GOOD, HOOF, HOOK, HOOT.
Step 5HOOP -> POOP
Tile 1 changes H to P; the move is closer by letter shape. POOP has 12 legal neighbors, target reached, and 0 moves remaining. Other legal exits from HOOP include COOP, LOOP, GOOP, HOOF.
Opening decision
Which first moves preserve par?
FUND has 4 legal one-letter neighbors, but only FOND keeps the route at 5 moves. Nearby detours begin FEND (+1), FIND (+1), FUNK (+1).
Compare 4 calculated first moves
Move
Changed tile
Total
Verdict
Shortest continuations
FOND
2: U -> O
5
Keeps par
3
FEND
2: U -> E
6
Adds 1 move
3
FIND
2: U -> I
6
Adds 1 move
3
FUNK
4: D -> K
6
Adds 1 move
2
FUND opening fingerprint
FUND groups its legal first moves as tile 2: FOND, FEND, FIND; tile 4: FUNK. Two moves from the start, 36 off-route words are reachable; the nearest sampled frontier is FOLD, FONT, FORD, GUNK, HUNK, BIND, BOND, BUNK, DUNK, FEED, FEND, FENS, FIND, FINS, FUCK, HIND, JUNK, PEND, POND, PUNK, SUNK, BEND, FEUD, FINE.
Your route
Compare a path you played
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Graph reading
HOOP is the narrowest displayed bridge
After HOOD becomes HOOP, only 1 move preserves the shortest remaining distance. At the prior row, alternatives such as GOOD, HOOF, HOOK, HOOT show what the route declined.
Direct-shape gains
4
Sideways steps
1
Temporary shape detours
0
Steps touching a vowel
2
How these figures were calculated
Poople recomputes adjacency and distance from the accepted 2,506-word graph. "Shortest routes" counts every path that lowers the remaining distance by one at each move; it is not a guess based on page text or player scores.
The displayed answer is one shortest route selected from that graph. Community scores and notes are kept separate because they describe player activity, not the mathematical route.
Counts use the full accepted graph, including uncommon words and words with sensitive meanings. The first-move groups list every legal opening. The comparison table, alternative exits, and two-move frontier show samples, not every possible continuation.
Data mode: liveGraph synced: 2026-09-12 18:17 UTCPuzzle date: