Poople Hints

Poople #406 · Thu, Sep 24

Poople #406 Answer: TRAY to POOP

TRAY POOP

Hints for Poople #406

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: CRAY, PRAY, TRAD, TRAM, TRAP.
Answer (Full shortest path)RevealHide

TRAY → TRAP → CRAP → CROP → PROP → POOP

All 10 shortest paths
  1. TRAY → CRAY → CRAP → CROP → COOP → POOP
  2. TRAY → CRAY → CRAP → CROP → PROP → POOP
  3. TRAY → PRAY → PLAY → PLAP → PLOP → POOP
  4. TRAY → PRAY → PLAY → PLOY → PLOP → POOP
  5. TRAY → PRAY → PRAM → PROM → PROP → POOP
  6. TRAY → PRAY → PREY → PREP → PROP → POOP
  7. TRAY → TRAD → TROD → PROD → PROP → POOP
  8. TRAY → TRAM → PRAM → PROM → PROP → POOP
  9. TRAY → TRAP → CRAP → CROP → COOP → POOP
  10. TRAY → TRAP → CRAP → CROP → PROP → POOP

Play Poople #406

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 #406 answer works

Poople #406 asks you to turn TRAY 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 10 different shortest paths; the one explained below is the path the official game shows.

Step-by-step explanation (spoiler)
  1. Change the 4th letter from Y to P: TRAY → TRAP. 4 steps to go.
  2. Change the 1st letter from T to C: TRAP → CRAP. 3 steps to go.
  3. Change the 3rd letter from A to O: CRAP → CROP. 2 steps to go.
  4. Change the 1st letter from C to P: CROP → PROP. 1 step to go.
  5. Change the 2nd letter from R to O: PROP → POOP. That spells POOP, so you are done.

First-move traps for TRAY

TRAY has 9 words one letter away in the Poople word list. 5 of them move you closer to POOP.

Of the others, 4 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: BRAY, FRAY, GRAY, XRAY.

How hard is Poople #406?

At 5 steps, Poople #406 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 #406 answer?+−
Poople #406 (Sep 24, 2026) starts from TRAY. The shortest path is TRAY → TRAP → CRAP → CROP → PROP → POOP.
How many steps does Poople #406 take?+−
The shortest path from TRAY to POOP takes 5 steps. There are 10 shortest paths.
What is the first move in Poople #406?+−
The official best path starts TRAY → TRAP. Other shortest paths may start differently; the hints above list every good first move.
Can Poople #406 be solved in fewer than 5 steps?+−
No. 5 steps is the minimum: every word one letter away from TRAY is at least 4 steps from POOP.
What was the Poople answer the day before #406?+−
Poople #405 started from YANK. The shortest path was YANK → BANK → BONK → BOOK → BOOP → POOP. Its hints are on the Poople #405 page in the archive.