Poople Hints

Poople #440 · Wed, Oct 28

Poople #440 Answer: CRUX to POOP

CRUX POOP

Hints for Poople #440

Sniff test (How many steps?)RevealHide
The shortest path takes 7 steps.
Which letter stinks? (Which letter changes first?)RevealHide
Change the 4th letter first.
First plop (The first word)RevealHide
Your first move is CRUD.
Answer (Full shortest path)RevealHide

CRUX → CRUD → CRED → CREW → CROW → CROP → PROP → POOP

All 4 shortest paths
  1. CRUX → CRUD → CRED → COED → HOED → HOOD → HOOP → POOP
  2. CRUX → CRUD → CRED → CREW → CROW → CROP → COOP → POOP
  3. CRUX → CRUD → CRED → CREW → CROW → CROP → PROP → POOP
  4. CRUX → CRUD → CRED → CREW → CROW → PROW → PROP → POOP

Play Poople #440

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: 7 steps Tricky

Finish in 7 steps for a Royal Flush

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How the Poople #440 answer works

Poople #440 asks you to turn CRUX 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 7 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 4th letter from X to D: CRUX → CRUD. 6 steps to go.
  2. Change the 3rd letter from U to E: CRUD → CRED. 5 steps to go.
  3. Change the 4th letter from D to W: CRED → CREW. 4 steps to go.
  4. Change the 3rd letter from E to O: CREW → CROW. 3 steps to go.
  5. Change the 4th letter from W to P: CROW → CROP. 2 steps to go.
  6. Change the 1st letter from C to P: CROP → PROP. 1 step to go.
  7. Change the 2nd letter from R to O: PROP → POOP. That spells POOP, so you are done.

First-move traps for CRUX

CRUX has only one neighbour in the Poople word list, and it moves you closer to POOP.

How hard is Poople #440?

At 7 steps, Poople #440 is rated Tricky. Across the 105 Poople puzzles on this site, the shortest path averages 5.7 steps. Of the other puzzles, 91 were shorter, 7 had the same length and 6 were longer.

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

FAQ

What is the Poople #440 answer?+−
Poople #440 (Oct 28, 2026) starts from CRUX. The shortest path is CRUX → CRUD → CRED → CREW → CROW → CROP → PROP → POOP.
How many steps does Poople #440 take?+−
The shortest path from CRUX to POOP takes 7 steps. There are 4 shortest paths.
What is the first move in Poople #440?+−
The official best path starts CRUX → CRUD.
Can Poople #440 be solved in fewer than 7 steps?+−
No. 7 steps is the minimum: every word one letter away from CRUX is at least 6 steps from POOP.
What was the Poople answer the day before #440?+−
Poople #439 started from CYAN. The shortest path was CYAN → CLAN → PLAN → PLAP → PLOP → POOP. Its hints are on the Poople #439 page in the archive.