Poople Hints

Poople #380 · Sat, Aug 29

Poople #380 Answer: CAPE to POOP

CAPE POOP

Hints for Poople #380

Sniff test (How many steps?)RevealHide
The shortest path takes 5 steps.
Which letter stinks? (Which letter changes first?)RevealHide
Change the 2nd or 3rd or 4th letter first.
First plop (The first word)RevealHide
Good first moves: CAME, CAPS, COPE.
Answer (Full shortest path)RevealHide

CAPE → CAME → COME → COMP → COOP → POOP

All 11 shortest paths
  1. CAPE → CAME → CAMP → COMP → COOP → POOP
  2. CAPE → CAME → CAMP → COMP → POMP → POOP
  3. CAPE → CAME → COME → COMP → COOP → POOP
  4. CAPE → CAME → COME → COMP → POMP → POOP
  5. CAPE → CAME → COME → POME → POMP → POOP
  6. CAPE → CAPS → COPS → COOS → COOP → POOP
  7. CAPE → COPE → COME → COMP → COOP → POOP
  8. CAPE → COPE → COME → COMP → POMP → POOP
  9. CAPE → COPE → COME → POME → POMP → POOP
  10. CAPE → COPE → COPS → COOS → COOP → POOP
  11. CAPE → COPE → POPE → POME → POMP → POOP

Shortest path: 5 steps Easy

Finish in 5 steps for a Royal Flush

How the Poople #380 answer works

Poople #380 asks you to turn CAPE 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 are 11 different shortest paths; the one explained below is the path the official game shows.

Step-by-step explanation (spoiler)
  1. Change the 3rd letter from P to M: CAPE → CAME. 4 steps to go.
  2. Change the 2nd letter from A to O: CAME → COME. 3 steps to go.
  3. Change the 4th letter from E to P: COME → COMP. 2 steps to go.
  4. Change the 3rd letter from M to O: COMP → COOP. 1 step to go.
  5. Change the 1st letter from C to P: COOP → POOP. That spells POOP, so you are done.

First-move traps for CAPE

CAPE has 15 words one letter away in the Poople word list. Only 3 of them move you closer to POOP.

Of the others, 2 take you further away and 10 keep you at the same distance.

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

Further away, so skip them: GAPE, JAPE.

Sideways, at the same distance from POOP, which costs you a step: CAFE, CAGE, CAKE, CANE, CAPO, CARE, CASE, CAVE, NAPE, TAPE.

How hard is Poople #380?

At 5 steps, Poople #380 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 #380 answer?+−
Poople #380 (Aug 29, 2026) starts from CAPE. The shortest path is CAPE → CAME → COME → COMP → COOP → POOP.
How many steps does Poople #380 take?+−
The shortest path from CAPE to POOP takes 5 steps. There are 11 shortest paths.
What is the first move in Poople #380?+−
The official best path starts CAPE → CAME. Other shortest paths may start differently; the hints above list every good first move.
Can Poople #380 be solved in fewer than 5 steps?+−
No. 5 steps is the minimum: every word one letter away from CAPE is at least 4 steps from POOP.
What was the Poople answer the day before #380?+−
Poople #379 started from MICA. The shortest path was MICA → MICE → MILE → MILL → PILL → POLL → POOL → POOP. Its hints are on the Poople #379 page in the archive.