Poople Hints

Poople #398 · Wed, Sep 16

Poople #398 Answer: WHAT to POOP

WHAT POOP

Hints for Poople #398

Sniff test (How many steps?)RevealHide
The shortest path takes 5 steps.
Which letter stinks? (Which letter changes first?)RevealHide
Change the 1st or 4th letter first.
First plop (The first word)RevealHide
Good first moves: CHAT, PHAT, WHAP.
Answer (Full shortest path)RevealHide

WHAT → CHAT → CHAP → CHOP → COOP → POOP

All 5 shortest paths
  1. WHAT → CHAT → CHAP → CHOP → COOP → POOP
  2. WHAT → CHAT → COAT → COOT → COOP → POOP
  3. WHAT → PHAT → PLAT → PLAP → PLOP → POOP
  4. WHAT → PHAT → PLAT → PLOT → PLOP → POOP
  5. WHAT → WHAP → CHAP → CHOP → COOP → POOP

Play Poople #398

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: 5 steps Easy

Finish in 5 steps for a Royal Flush

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How the Poople #398 answer works

Poople #398 asks you to turn WHAT 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 5 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 W to C: WHAT → CHAT. 4 steps to go.
  2. Change the 4th letter from T to P: CHAT → CHAP. 3 steps to go.
  3. Change the 3rd letter from A to O: CHAP → CHOP. 2 steps to go.
  4. Change the 2nd letter from H to O: CHOP → 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 WHAT

WHAT has 8 words one letter away in the Poople word list. Only 3 of them move you closer to POOP.

Of the others, 1 takes you further away and 4 keep you at the same distance.

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

Further away, so skip them: WHET.

Sideways, at the same distance from POOP, which costs you a step: SHAT, THAT, WHAM, WHIT.

How hard is Poople #398?

At 5 steps, Poople #398 is rated Easy. Across the 105 Poople puzzles on this site, the shortest path averages 5.7 steps. Of the other puzzles, 56 had the same length and 48 were longer. No puzzle on this site was shorter.

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

FAQ

What is the Poople #398 answer?+−
Poople #398 (Sep 16, 2026) starts from WHAT. The shortest path is WHAT → CHAT → CHAP → CHOP → COOP → POOP.
How many steps does Poople #398 take?+−
The shortest path from WHAT to POOP takes 5 steps. There are 5 shortest paths.
What is the first move in Poople #398?+−
The official best path starts WHAT → CHAT. Other shortest paths may start differently; the hints above list every good first move.
Can Poople #398 be solved in fewer than 5 steps?+−
No. 5 steps is the minimum: every word one letter away from WHAT is at least 4 steps from POOP.
What was the Poople answer the day before #398?+−
Poople #397 started from RISK. The shortest path was RISK → RISE → ROSE → POSE → POME → POMP → POOP. Its hints are on the Poople #397 page in the archive.