How to Play Poople
Poople is a word ladder puzzle: change one letter at a time until the start word turns into POOP. Here are the rules, a worked example and a few tricks that help.
The rules
- Start with the given word. Every puzzle begins with a four-letter start word. Your job is to reach POOP.
- Change exactly one letter. Replace one letter in its position to make a new real word. Keep the other three letters as they are.
- Repeat until you reach POOP. Keep building the ladder one word at a time. The puzzle ends when your latest word is POOP.
- Compare your steps with par. Fewer steps is better. Matching par means you found one of the shortest possible ladders.
That really is all there is to it. Each move swaps one letter in place, so the word always stays four letters long, and every word on the ladder has to be a real English word.
A worked example
Suppose your start word is COIL. The shortest ladder to POOP has three steps. In the table, the orange letter is the one that was replaced and the green letter is the new one that replaced it:
| Step | Word | What changed |
|---|---|---|
| Start | COIL | – |
| 1 | COOL | Third letter I becomes O |
| 2 | POOL | First letter C becomes P |
| 3 | POOP | Last letter L becomes P |
Spot the pattern? The middle becomes a double O first, then the outer letters are swapped for Ps one at a time. A lot of ladders follow this shape.
Strategy and tips
- Think backwards. Make a quick list of the words one step from POOP: POOL, POOR, COOP, LOOP. Getting to any one of them is your real target.
- Build the double O. If your word has a single vowel in the middle, turning it into OO often gets you much closer.
- Count the letters that already match. POOP has two Ps and two Os. Every position that already fits is a move you will not have to make.
- Prefer words with many neighbours. Short, common words link to lots of others. Rare words often lead nowhere.
- Slow down a little. A wrong turn costs a step. Before you type, check the new word is one change from where you are and still heads where you want to go.
- Learn from par. After each puzzle, compare your steps with par. If you went over, open the Poople Solver and see where a shorter path branched off.
Words and terms
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Ladder | The chain of words from the start word to POOP. |
| Step | One move that changes a single letter. |
| Par | The number of steps in the shortest possible ladder. |
| Neighbour | A word that differs from another word by exactly one letter. |
| Dead end | A word with very few neighbours that is hard to leave. |
Practise as much as you like
The original Poople game gives you one puzzle a day. If you want to improve faster, the unlimited practice game hands you a fresh puzzle every time you press New Puzzle. Start on Easy, work up to Hard, and go easy on the hints.
Poople rules FAQ
Can I change more than one letter at a time?
No. Each step must change exactly one letter, and the result must be a real four-letter word.
Can I change a letter back to what it was?
Yes, a letter can change back in a later step, but doing so usually wastes a move. In our practice game, a word cannot be used twice in the same ladder.
Does the order of the letters matter?
Yes. Letters stay in their positions. You replace a letter in place; you cannot swap or rearrange letters.
How many steps is a good score?
Matching par is a perfect score. Par is the shortest ladder possible for your start word, and most puzzles can be solved within a few steps of it.
What should I do if I get stuck?
Use the Hint button in the practice game, undo your last move, or enter your word in the Poople Solver to see the shortest path.
Related
Poople Hint
Stuck? Get clues one at a time without seeing the answer.
Poople Solver
Enter a start word and see the shortest path to POOP.
Play unlimited rounds
Put the rules into practice with a new puzzle every time.