Poople Hints

Poople #417 · Mon, Oct 5

Poople #417 Answer: PAIR to POOP

PAIR POOP

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Hints for Poople #417

Sniff test (How many steps?)RevealHide
The shortest path takes 5 steps.
Which letter stinks? (Which letter changes first?)RevealHide
Change the 4th letter first.
First plop (The first word)RevealHide
Your first move is PAIL.
Answer (Full shortest path)RevealHide

PAIR → PAIL → PALL → POLL → POOL → POOP

Shortest path: 5 steps Easy

Finish in 5 steps for a Royal Flush

How the Poople #417 answer works

Poople #417 asks you to turn PAIR 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 is only one shortest path, so only one sequence of moves finishes in 5 steps.

Step-by-step explanation (spoiler)
  1. Change the 4th letter from R to L: PAIR → PAIL. 4 steps to go.
  2. Change the 3rd letter from I to L: PAIL → PALL. 3 steps to go.
  3. Change the 2nd letter from A to O: PALL → POLL. 2 steps to go.
  4. Change the 3rd letter from L to O: POLL → POOL. 1 step to go.
  5. Change the 4th letter from L to P: POOL → POOP. That spells POOP, so you are done.

First-move traps for PAIR

PAIR has 6 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 and 4 keep you at the same distance.

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

Further away, so skip them: HAIR.

Sideways, at the same distance from POOP, which costs you a step: FAIR, LAIR, PAID, PAIN.

How hard is Poople #417?

At 5 steps, Poople #417 is rated Easy. Across the 64 Poople puzzles on this site, the shortest path averages 5.6 steps. Of the other puzzles, 38 had the same length and 25 were longer. No puzzle on this site was shorter.

Try other words in the Poople solver.

FAQ

What is the Poople #417 answer?+−
Poople #417 (Oct 5, 2026) starts from PAIR. The shortest path is PAIR → PAIL → PALL → POLL → POOL → POOP.
How many steps does Poople #417 take?+−
The shortest path from PAIR to POOP takes 5 steps. There is 1 shortest path.
What is the first move in Poople #417?+−
The official best path starts PAIR → PAIL.
Can Poople #417 be solved in fewer than 5 steps?+−
No. 5 steps is the minimum: every word one letter away from PAIR is at least 4 steps from POOP.
What was the Poople answer the day before #417?+−
Poople #416 started from RAFT. The shortest path was RAFT → RIFT → RIOT → ROOT → LOOT → LOOP → POOP. Its hints are on the Poople #416 page in the archive.