Poople Hints

Poople #383 · Tue, Sep 1

Poople #383 Answer: NAPS to POOP

NAPS POOP

Hints for Poople #383

Sniff test (How many steps?)RevealHide
The shortest path takes 5 steps.
Which letter stinks? (Which letter changes first?)RevealHide
Change the 1st letter first.
First plop (The first word)RevealHide
Your first move is CAPS.
Answer (Full shortest path)RevealHide

NAPS → CAPS → COPS → COOS → COOP → POOP

Shortest path: 5 steps Easy

Finish in 5 steps for a Royal Flush

How the Poople #383 answer works

Poople #383 asks you to turn NAPS 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 1st letter from N to C: NAPS → CAPS. 4 steps to go.
  2. Change the 2nd letter from A to O: CAPS → COPS. 3 steps to go.
  3. Change the 3rd letter from P to O: COPS → COOS. 2 steps to go.
  4. Change the 4th letter from S to P: COOS → 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 NAPS

NAPS has 18 words one letter away in the Poople word list. Only 1 of them moves you closer to POOP.

Of the others, 2 take you further away and 15 keep you at the same distance.

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

Further away, so skip them: NAES, NIPS.

Sideways, at the same distance from POOP, which costs you a step: DAPS, GAPS, HAPS, LAPS, MAPS, NABS, NAGS, NAPE, NAYS, PAPS, RAPS, SAPS, TAPS, YAPS, ZAPS.

How hard is Poople #383?

At 5 steps, Poople #383 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 #383 answer?+−
Poople #383 (Sep 1, 2026) starts from NAPS. The shortest path is NAPS → CAPS → COPS → COOS → COOP → POOP.
How many steps does Poople #383 take?+−
The shortest path from NAPS to POOP takes 5 steps. There is 1 shortest path.
What is the first move in Poople #383?+−
The official best path starts NAPS → CAPS.
Can Poople #383 be solved in fewer than 5 steps?+−
No. 5 steps is the minimum: every word one letter away from NAPS is at least 4 steps from POOP.
What was the Poople answer the day before #383?+−
Poople #382 started from WATT. The shortest path was WATT → WANT → WONT → FONT → FOOT → FOOL → POOL → POOP. Its hints are on the Poople #382 page in the archive.