Poople Hints

Poople #438 · Mon, Oct 26

Poople #438 Answer: ANTE to POOP

ANTE POOP

Hints for Poople #438

Sniff test (How many steps?)RevealHide
The shortest path takes 8 steps.
Which letter stinks? (Which letter changes first?)RevealHide
Change the 4th letter first.
First plop (The first word)RevealHide
Your first move is ANTS.
Answer (Full shortest path)RevealHide

ANTE → ANTS → ANDS → AIDS → BIDS → BODS → BOOS → BOOP → POOP

Play Poople #438

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: 8 steps Brutal

Finish in 8 steps for a Royal Flush

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How the Poople #438 answer works

Poople #438 asks you to turn ANTE 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 8 steps. There is only one shortest path, so only one sequence of moves finishes in 8 steps.

Step-by-step explanation (spoiler)
  1. Change the 4th letter from E to S: ANTE → ANTS. 7 steps to go.
  2. Change the 3rd letter from T to D: ANTS → ANDS. 6 steps to go.
  3. Change the 2nd letter from N to I: ANDS → AIDS. 5 steps to go.
  4. Change the 1st letter from A to B: AIDS → BIDS. 4 steps to go.
  5. Change the 2nd letter from I to O: BIDS → BODS. 3 steps to go.
  6. Change the 3rd letter from D to O: BODS → BOOS. 2 steps to go.
  7. Change the 4th letter from S to P: BOOS → BOOP. 1 step to go.
  8. Change the 1st letter from B to P: BOOP → POOP. That spells POOP, so you are done.

First-move traps for ANTE

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

Of the others, 1 keeps 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: ANTI.

How hard is Poople #438?

At 8 steps, Poople #438 is rated Brutal. Across the 105 Poople puzzles on this site, the shortest path averages 5.7 steps. Of the other puzzles, 99 were shorter, 2 had the same length and 3 were longer.

Try other words in the Poople solver, or play endless practice ladders in Poople Unlimited.

FAQ

What is the Poople #438 answer?+−
Poople #438 (Oct 26, 2026) starts from ANTE. The shortest path is ANTE → ANTS → ANDS → AIDS → BIDS → BODS → BOOS → BOOP → POOP.
How many steps does Poople #438 take?+−
The shortest path from ANTE to POOP takes 8 steps. There is 1 shortest path.
What is the first move in Poople #438?+−
The official best path starts ANTE → ANTS.
Can Poople #438 be solved in fewer than 8 steps?+−
No. 8 steps is the minimum: every word one letter away from ANTE is at least 7 steps from POOP.
What was the Poople answer the day before #438?+−
Poople #437 started from CASE. The shortest path was CASE → CAME → COME → COMP → COOP → POOP. Its hints are on the Poople #437 page in the archive.