Poople Hints

Poople #378 · Thu, Aug 27

Poople #378 Answer: GELS to POOP

GELS POOP

Hints for Poople #378

Sniff test (How many steps?)RevealHide
The shortest path takes 5 steps.
Which letter stinks? (Which letter changes first?)RevealHide
Change the 4th letter first.
First plop (The first word)RevealHide
Your first move is GELD.
Answer (Full shortest path)RevealHide

GELS → GELD → GOLD → GOOD → GOOP → POOP

Shortest path: 5 steps Easy

Finish in 5 steps for a Royal Flush

How the Poople #378 answer works

Poople #378 asks you to turn GELS into POOP by changing one letter at a time, and every word on the way has to be in the Poople word list. The shortest path takes 5 steps. There is only one shortest path, so only one sequence of moves finishes in 5 steps.

Step-by-step explanation (spoiler)
  1. Change the 4th letter from S to D: GELS → GELD. 4 steps to go.
  2. Change the 2nd letter from E to O: GELD → GOLD. 3 steps to go.
  3. Change the 3rd letter from L to O: GOLD → GOOD. 2 steps to go.
  4. Change the 4th letter from D to P: GOOD → GOOP. 1 step to go.
  5. Change the 1st letter from G to P: GOOP → POOP. That spells POOP, so you are done.

First-move traps for GELS

GELS has 7 words one letter away in the Poople word list. Only 1 of them moves you closer to POOP.

Of the others, 3 take you further away and 3 keep you at the same distance.

Which first moves to avoid (may reveal the first move)

Further away, so skip them: EELS, GEMS, GENS.

Sideways, at the same distance from POOP, which costs you a step: GALS, GEES, GETS.

How hard is Poople #378?

At 5 steps, Poople #378 is rated Easy. Across the 62 Poople puzzles on this site, the shortest path averages 5.6 steps. Of the other puzzles, 37 had the same length and 24 were longer. No puzzle on this site was shorter.

Try other words in the Poople solver.

FAQ

What is the Poople #378 answer?+−
Poople #378 (Aug 27, 2026) starts from GELS. The shortest path is GELS → GELD → GOLD → GOOD → GOOP → POOP.
How many steps does Poople #378 take?+−
The shortest path from GELS to POOP takes 5 steps. There is 1 shortest path.
What is the first move in Poople #378?+−
The official best path starts GELS → GELD.
Can Poople #378 be solved in fewer than 5 steps?+−
No. 5 steps is the minimum: every word one letter away from GELS is at least 4 steps from POOP.
What was the Poople answer the day before #378?+−
Poople #377 started from TINT. The shortest path was TINT → TILT → TILL → TOLL → TOOL → POOL → POOP. Its hints are on the Poople #377 page in the archive.