Poople #416 · Sun, Oct 4

Poople #416 Answer: RAFT to POOP

RAFT POOP

Play this puzzle on the home page

Hints for Poople #416

Sniff test (How many steps?)RevealHide
The shortest path takes 6 steps.
Which letter stinks? (Which letter changes first?)RevealHide
Change the 1st or 2nd letter first.
First plop (The first word)RevealHide
Good first moves: HAFT, RIFT.
Answer (Full shortest path)RevealHide

RAFT → RIFT → RIOT → ROOT → LOOT → LOOP → POOP

All 7 shortest paths
  1. RAFT → HAFT → HALT → HOLT → HOOT → HOOP → POOP
  2. RAFT → RIFT → LIFT → LOFT → LOOT → LOOP → POOP
  3. RAFT → RIFT → RIOT → ROOT → BOOT → BOOP → POOP
  4. RAFT → RIFT → RIOT → ROOT → COOT → COOP → POOP
  5. RAFT → RIFT → RIOT → ROOT → HOOT → HOOP → POOP
  6. RAFT → RIFT → RIOT → ROOT → LOOT → LOOP → POOP
  7. RAFT → RIFT → RIOT → ROOT → ROOF → POOF → POOP

Shortest path: 6 steps Tricky

Finish in 6 steps for a Royal Flush

How the Poople #416 answer works

Poople #416 asks you to turn RAFT 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 7 different shortest paths; the one explained below is the path the official game shows.

Step-by-step explanation (spoiler)
  1. Change the 2nd letter from A to I: RAFT → RIFT. 5 steps to go.
  2. Change the 3rd letter from F to O: RIFT → RIOT. 4 steps to go.
  3. Change the 2nd letter from I to O: RIOT → ROOT. 3 steps to go.
  4. Change the 1st letter from R to L: ROOT → LOOT. 2 steps to go.
  5. Change the 4th letter from T to P: LOOT → LOOP. 1 step to go.
  6. Change the 1st letter from L to P: LOOP → POOP. That spells POOP, so you are done.

First-move traps for RAFT

RAFT has 7 words one letter away in the Poople word list. Only 2 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: RAFF.

Sideways, at the same distance from POOP, which costs you a step: DAFT, RANT, RAPT, WAFT.

How hard is Poople #416?

At 6 steps, Poople #416 is rated Tricky. Across the 63 Poople puzzles on this site, the shortest path averages 5.6 steps. Of the other puzzles, 38 were shorter, 17 had the same length and 7 were longer.

Try other words in the Poople solver.

FAQ

What is the Poople #416 answer?+−
Poople #416 (Oct 4, 2026) starts from RAFT. The shortest path is RAFT → RIFT → RIOT → ROOT → LOOT → LOOP → POOP.
How many steps does Poople #416 take?+−
The shortest path from RAFT to POOP takes 6 steps. There are 7 shortest paths.
What is the first move in Poople #416?+−
The official best path starts RAFT → RIFT. Other shortest paths may start differently; the hints above list every good first move.
Can Poople #416 be solved in fewer than 6 steps?+−
No. 6 steps is the minimum: every word one letter away from RAFT is at least 5 steps from POOP.
What was the Poople answer the day before #416?+−
Poople #415 started from TEEN. The shortest path was TEEN → PEEN → PEEP → PREP → PROP → POOP. Its hints are on the Poople #415 page in the archive.