Poople #397 · Tue, Sep 15

Poople #397 Answer: RISK to POOP

RISK POOP

Hints for Poople #397

Sniff test (How many steps?)RevealHide
The shortest path takes 6 steps.
Which letter stinks? (Which letter changes first?)RevealHide
Change the 4th letter first.
First plop (The first word)RevealHide
Your first move is RISE.
Answer (Full shortest path)RevealHide

RISK → RISE → ROSE → POSE → POME → POMP → POOP

Play Poople #397

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: 6 steps Tricky

Finish in 6 steps for a Royal Flush

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How the Poople #397 answer works

Poople #397 asks you to turn RISK 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 6 steps. There is only one shortest path, so only one sequence of moves finishes in 6 steps.

Step-by-step explanation (spoiler)
  1. Change the 4th letter from K to E: RISK → RISE. 5 steps to go.
  2. Change the 2nd letter from I to O: RISE → ROSE. 4 steps to go.
  3. Change the 1st letter from R to P: ROSE → POSE. 3 steps to go.
  4. Change the 3rd letter from S to M: POSE → POME. 2 steps to go.
  5. Change the 4th letter from E to P: POME → POMP. 1 step to go.
  6. Change the 3rd letter from M to O: POMP → POOP. That spells POOP, so you are done.

First-move traps for RISK

RISK has 4 words one letter away in the Poople word list. Only 1 of them moves you closer to POOP.

Of the others, 3 keep you at the same distance.

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

Sideways, at the same distance from POOP, which costs you a step: DISK, RINK, RUSK.

How hard is Poople #397?

At 6 steps, Poople #397 is rated Tricky. Across the 105 Poople puzzles on this site, the shortest path averages 5.7 steps. Of the other puzzles, 57 were shorter, 33 had the same length and 14 were longer.

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

FAQ

What is the Poople #397 answer?+−
Poople #397 (Sep 15, 2026) starts from RISK. The shortest path is RISK → RISE → ROSE → POSE → POME → POMP → POOP.
How many steps does Poople #397 take?+−
The shortest path from RISK to POOP takes 6 steps. There is 1 shortest path.
What is the first move in Poople #397?+−
The official best path starts RISK → RISE.
Can Poople #397 be solved in fewer than 6 steps?+−
No. 6 steps is the minimum: every word one letter away from RISK is at least 5 steps from POOP.
What was the Poople answer the day before #397?+−
Poople #396 started from CARS. The shortest path was CARS → CAMS → CAMP → COMP → COOP → POOP. Its hints are on the Poople #396 page in the archive.