Poople Answer: #288 DUNE to POOP
Replay the puzzle first, then reveal one published 5-move route from DUNE to POOP.
- Par
- 5
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Level
- #288
Poople answer #288 guide
What is the Poople answer #288?
One published Poople answer #288 is a 5-move route from DUNE to POOP. Try the playable board before comparing your solution with the published route.
Spoiler protected Show Poople answer #288 Hide Poople answer #288
One letter at a time
Poople Answer Path #288 DUNE
DUNE → DONE → DOME → POME → POMP → POOP
Step by step
Letter-by-letter path explanation
- DUNE → DONE Change letter 2 from U to O.
- DONE → DOME Change letter 3 from N to M.
- DOME → POME Change letter 1 from D to P.
- POME → POMP Change letter 4 from E to P.
- POMP → POOP Change letter 3 from M to O.
| Published | |
|---|---|
| Start word | DUNE |
| Target word | POOP |
| Par | 5 moves |
| Published route | 5 moves |
| Difficulty | Medium |
| Computed minimum | 5 moves |
| Computed minimum routes | 1 |
| Low-frequency words on easiest minimum route | POME, POMP |
| Final bridge | POMP |
Route logic
Why this Poople route works
Poople #288 follows DUNE → DONE → DOME → POME → POMP → POOP across 5 published moves. DUNE → DONE changes the second letter from U to O, while DOME → POME changes the first letter from D to P farther along the route. These concrete edits carry the ladder through 4 intermediate words without skipping an entry. Every neighboring pair differs by exactly one character, and the complete sequence matches the recorded par.
A repeatable solving method is to check both ends. From the start, keep letters that open several valid next moves. From POOP, work backward to a likely final bridge, then look for a word that connects your forward and backward chains. This reduces random guesses while you test the playable board.
Solution strategy
Why the bridge word matters
POMP already shares three letter positions with POOP. The final move changes the third letter from M to O, completing the ladder without disturbing the matching characters.
To apply this strategy to another Poople game, work backward from POOP: list its valid one-letter neighbours, then test which candidate connects to the chain you are building from the starting word.
Difficulty notes
How difficult is Poople #288?
Poople #288 scores 60/100 on the PoopleToday Difficulty Index and is rated Medium. The index combines minimum route length, word familiarity and route flexibility. Within Poople Today’s validated word list, the computed minimum is 5 moves. The easiest computed minimum route still includes POME, POMP in the lowest frequency quartile. 1 computed minimum route was found in this word list.
Source and review
How this Poople answer is checked
Poople Today stores the puzzle number, starting word, par and published route with its source. Automated checks confirm four-letter formatting, the correct start and target, one changed letter per move and agreement between the route length and par. Review the published puzzle source.
The current route status is structure validated. Structural validation confirms that the displayed chain follows the game rules. Separately, the Difficulty Index searches Poople Today’s validated word list for computed minimum routes; that calculation does not prove that no route exists using a word outside this list. Last reviewed .