Poople Hints

Poople #394 · Sat, Sep 12

Poople #394 Answer: AHEM to POOP

AHEM POOP

Hints for Poople #394

Sniff test (How many steps?)RevealHide
The shortest path takes 8 steps.
Which letter stinks? (Which letter changes first?)RevealHide
Change the 1st letter first.
First plop (The first word)RevealHide
Your first move is THEM.
Answer (Full shortest path)RevealHide

AHEM → THEM → THEN → THIN → CHIN → CHIP → CHOP → COOP → POOP

All 13 shortest paths
  1. AHEM → THEM → TEEM → DEEM → DEEP → PEEP → PREP → PROP → POOP
  2. AHEM → THEM → TEEM → DEEM → DEER → DOER → DOOR → POOR → POOP
  3. AHEM → THEM → TEEM → SEEM → SEEP → PEEP → PREP → PROP → POOP
  4. AHEM → THEM → TEEM → TEAM → LEAM → LOAM → LOOM → LOOP → POOP
  5. AHEM → THEM → TEEM → TEAM → TRAM → PRAM → PROM → PROP → POOP
  6. AHEM → THEM → TEEM → TEED → HEED → HOED → HOOD → HOOP → POOP
  7. AHEM → THEM → TEEM → TEED → PEED → PEEP → PREP → PROP → POOP
  8. AHEM → THEM → TEEM → TEED → PEED → PLED → PLOD → PLOP → POOP
  9. AHEM → THEM → TEEM → TEED → TOED → HOED → HOOD → HOOP → POOP
  10. AHEM → THEM → TEEM → TEEN → PEEN → PEEP → PREP → PROP → POOP
  11. AHEM → THEM → TEEM → TEES → PEES → PEEP → PREP → PROP → POOP
  12. AHEM → THEM → THEN → TEEN → PEEN → PEEP → PREP → PROP → POOP
  13. AHEM → THEM → THEN → THIN → CHIN → CHIP → CHOP → COOP → POOP

Play Poople #394

Try the ladder yourself before you open the answer. Old puzzles do not count toward your streak.

Unrolling…

Sniffing out the word list…

Shortest path: 8 steps Brutal

Finish in 8 steps for a Royal Flush

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How the Poople #394 answer works

Poople #394 asks you to turn AHEM 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 8 steps. There are 13 different shortest paths; the one explained below is the path the official game shows.

Step-by-step explanation (spoiler)
  1. Change the 1st letter from A to T: AHEM → THEM. 7 steps to go.
  2. Change the 4th letter from M to N: THEM → THEN. 6 steps to go.
  3. Change the 3rd letter from E to I: THEN → THIN. 5 steps to go.
  4. Change the 1st letter from T to C: THIN → CHIN. 4 steps to go.
  5. Change the 4th letter from N to P: CHIN → CHIP. 3 steps to go.
  6. Change the 3rd letter from I to O: CHIP → CHOP. 2 steps to go.
  7. Change the 2nd letter from H to O: CHOP → COOP. 1 step to go.
  8. Change the 1st letter from C to P: COOP → POOP. That spells POOP, so you are done.

First-move traps for AHEM

AHEM has only one neighbour in the Poople word list, and it moves you closer to POOP.

How hard is Poople #394?

At 8 steps, Poople #394 is rated Brutal. Across the 105 Poople puzzles on this site, the shortest path averages 5.7 steps. Of the other puzzles, 99 were shorter, 2 had the same length and 3 were longer.

Try other words in the Poople solver, or play endless practice ladders in Poople Unlimited.

FAQ

What is the Poople #394 answer?+−
Poople #394 (Sep 12, 2026) starts from AHEM. The shortest path is AHEM → THEM → THEN → THIN → CHIN → CHIP → CHOP → COOP → POOP.
How many steps does Poople #394 take?+−
The shortest path from AHEM to POOP takes 8 steps. There are 13 shortest paths.
What is the first move in Poople #394?+−
The official best path starts AHEM → THEM.
Can Poople #394 be solved in fewer than 8 steps?+−
No. 8 steps is the minimum: every word one letter away from AHEM is at least 7 steps from POOP.
What was the Poople answer the day before #394?+−
Poople #393 started from FUND. The shortest path was FUND → FOND → FOOD → FOOL → POOL → POOP. Its hints are on the Poople #393 page in the archive.