Poople Hints

Poople #402 · Sun, Sep 20

Poople #402 Answer: AWAY to POOP

AWAY POOP

Hints for Poople #402

Sniff test (How many steps?)RevealHide
The shortest path takes 6 steps.
Which letter stinks? (Which letter changes first?)RevealHide
Change the 1st letter first.
First plop (The first word)RevealHide
Your first move is SWAY.
Answer (Full shortest path)RevealHide

AWAY → SWAY → SLAY → PLAY → PLOY → PLOP → POOP

All 6 shortest paths
  1. AWAY → SWAY → SLAY → PLAY → PLAP → PLOP → POOP
  2. AWAY → SWAY → SLAY → PLAY → PLOY → PLOP → POOP
  3. AWAY → SWAY → SLAY → SLAP → PLAP → PLOP → POOP
  4. AWAY → SWAY → SLAY → SLAP → SLOP → PLOP → POOP
  5. AWAY → SWAY → SWAP → SLAP → PLAP → PLOP → POOP
  6. AWAY → SWAY → SWAP → SLAP → SLOP → PLOP → POOP

Play Poople #402

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 #402 answer works

Poople #402 asks you to turn AWAY 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 are 6 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 S: AWAY → SWAY. 5 steps to go.
  2. Change the 2nd letter from W to L: SWAY → SLAY. 4 steps to go.
  3. Change the 1st letter from S to P: SLAY → PLAY. 3 steps to go.
  4. Change the 3rd letter from A to O: PLAY → PLOY. 2 steps to go.
  5. Change the 4th letter from Y to P: PLOY → PLOP. 1 step to go.
  6. Change the 2nd letter from L to O: PLOP → POOP. That spells POOP, so you are done.

First-move traps for AWAY

AWAY has 2 words one letter away in the Poople word list. Only 1 of them moves you closer to POOP.

Of the others, 1 takes you further away.

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

Further away, so skip them: AWRY.

How hard is Poople #402?

At 6 steps, Poople #402 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 #402 answer?+−
Poople #402 (Sep 20, 2026) starts from AWAY. The shortest path is AWAY → SWAY → SLAY → PLAY → PLOY → PLOP → POOP.
How many steps does Poople #402 take?+−
The shortest path from AWAY to POOP takes 6 steps. There are 6 shortest paths.
What is the first move in Poople #402?+−
The official best path starts AWAY → SWAY.
Can Poople #402 be solved in fewer than 6 steps?+−
No. 6 steps is the minimum: every word one letter away from AWAY is at least 5 steps from POOP.
What was the Poople answer the day before #402?+−
Poople #401 started from FANS. The shortest path was FANS → CANS → CONS → COOS → COOP → POOP. Its hints are on the Poople #401 page in the archive.