Originally Posted By: LukeJavan8
some transformations require a surprising number of steps. Carroll found that 10 were required to turn BLUE into PINK

BLUE can be converted into PINK in 9 steps as follows:

BLUE
BLUR
SLUR
SOUR
SOAR
SOAK
SOCK
SICK
SINK
PINK

If SOUK is allowed as an English word, it can be done in 8 steps.

Originally Posted By: LukeJavan8
and in 1968 wordplay expert Dmitri Borgmann declared himself unable to convert ABOVE into BELOW at all.

Here's ABOVE to BELOW in 24 steps (if you allow the slang PRATS and the archaic BESOW):

ABOVE
ABODE
APODE
EPODE
ERODE
EROSE
ERASE
PRASE
PRATE
PRATS
BRATS
BOATS
BOLTS
BELTS
BELLS
BELLY
BELAY
RELAY
RESAY
RESAT
RESET
BESET
BESOT
BESOW
BELOW