Poople answer archive

Poople #367 answer: NEXT to POOP in 6 guesses (August 17, 2026)

The Poople puzzle for August 17, 2026 starts from NEXT. The shortest ladder to POOP takes 6 guesses, and there are 5 different shortest routes. Here is one of them, using the most common words:

  1. NEXT
  2. NEAT
  3. BEAT
  4. BOAT
  5. BOOT
  6. BOOP
  7. POOP

Puzzle numbers follow the original game, which switches to a new word at 08:00 UTC.

Want to play instead of peeking?

Try today's Poople Unlimited puzzle — a different starting word, same rules, with undo and hints — or go unlimited. Curious about a ladder of your own? The word ladder solver finds the shortest path between any two four-letter words.

How the shortest path is found

Every four-letter word in the game's word list is a node; two words are linked when they differ by one letter. A breadth-first search from POOP gives the minimum number of steps for every word. When several shortest ladders exist, the one shown prefers common words, so it reads naturally — the same idea the original game uses for its "yesterday" solution.