Poople Hints

Poople #420 · Thu, Oct 8

Poople #420 Answer: OMEN to POOP

OMEN POOP

Play this puzzle on the home page

Hints for Poople #420

Sniff test (How many steps?)RevealHide
The shortest path takes 9 steps.
Which letter stinks? (Which letter changes first?)RevealHide
Change the 2nd letter first.
First plop (The first word)RevealHide
Your first move is OPEN.
Answer (Full shortest path)RevealHide

OMEN → OPEN → OPES → OPTS → OUTS → CUTS → COTS → COOS → COOP → POOP

All 4 shortest paths
  1. OMEN → OPEN → OPES → OPTS → OATS → BATS → BOTS → BOOS → BOOP → POOP
  2. OMEN → OPEN → OPES → OPTS → OATS → CATS → COTS → COOS → COOP → POOP
  3. OMEN → OPEN → OPES → OPTS → OUTS → BUTS → BOTS → BOOS → BOOP → POOP
  4. OMEN → OPEN → OPES → OPTS → OUTS → CUTS → COTS → COOS → COOP → POOP

Shortest path: 9 steps Brutal

Finish in 9 steps for a Royal Flush

Advertisement

How the Poople #420 answer works

Poople #420 asks you to turn OMEN 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 9 steps. There are 4 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 M to P: OMEN → OPEN. 8 steps to go.
  2. Change the 4th letter from N to S: OPEN → OPES. 7 steps to go.
  3. Change the 3rd letter from E to T: OPES → OPTS. 6 steps to go.
  4. Change the 2nd letter from P to U: OPTS → OUTS. 5 steps to go.
  5. Change the 1st letter from O to C: OUTS → CUTS. 4 steps to go.
  6. Change the 2nd letter from U to O: CUTS → COTS. 3 steps to go.
  7. Change the 3rd letter from T to O: COTS → COOS. 2 steps to go.
  8. Change the 4th letter from S to P: COOS → COOP. 1 step to go.
  9. Change the 1st letter from C to P: COOP → POOP. That spells POOP, so you are done.

First-move traps for OMEN

OMEN has 4 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 2 keep you at the same distance.

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

Further away, so skip them: AMEN.

Sideways, at the same distance from POOP, which costs you a step: OVEN, OXEN.

How hard is Poople #420?

At 9 steps, Poople #420 is rated Brutal. Across the 67 Poople puzzles on this site, the shortest path averages 5.6 steps. Of the other puzzles, 65 were shorter and 1 was longer.

Try other words in the Poople solver.

FAQ

What is the Poople #420 answer?+−
Poople #420 (Oct 8, 2026) starts from OMEN. The shortest path is OMEN → OPEN → OPES → OPTS → OUTS → CUTS → COTS → COOS → COOP → POOP.
How many steps does Poople #420 take?+−
The shortest path from OMEN to POOP takes 9 steps. There are 4 shortest paths.
What is the first move in Poople #420?+−
The official best path starts OMEN → OPEN.
Can Poople #420 be solved in fewer than 9 steps?+−
No. 9 steps is the minimum: every word one letter away from OMEN is at least 8 steps from POOP.
What was the Poople answer the day before #420?+−
Poople #419 started from CARD. The shortest path was CARD → CORD → CORK → COOK → COOP → POOP. Its hints are on the Poople #419 page in the archive.