Poople Hints

Poople #453 · Tue, Nov 10

Poople #453 Answer: ICES to POOP

ICES POOP

Hints for Poople #453

Sniff test (How many steps?)RevealHide
The shortest path takes 9 steps.
Which letter stinks? (Which letter changes first?)RevealHide
Change the 1st or 2nd or 4th letter first.
First plop (The first word)RevealHide
Good first moves: ACES, ICED, IDES.
Answer (Full shortest path)RevealHide

ICES → IDES → IDEM → ITEM → STEM → STEP → STOP → SLOP → PLOP → POOP

All 4 shortest paths
  1. ICES → ACES → ACED → APED → SPED → SLED → PLED → PLOD → PLOP → POOP
  2. ICES → ACES → APES → APED → SPED → SLED → PLED → PLOD → PLOP → POOP
  3. ICES → ICED → ACED → APED → SPED → SLED → PLED → PLOD → PLOP → POOP
  4. ICES → IDES → IDEM → ITEM → STEM → STEP → STOP → SLOP → PLOP → POOP

Play Poople #453

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: 9 steps Brutal

Finish in 9 steps for a Royal Flush

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How the Poople #453 answer works

Poople #453 asks you to turn ICES 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 C to D: ICES → IDES. 8 steps to go.
  2. Change the 4th letter from S to M: IDES → IDEM. 7 steps to go.
  3. Change the 2nd letter from D to T: IDEM → ITEM. 6 steps to go.
  4. Change the 1st letter from I to S: ITEM → STEM. 5 steps to go.
  5. Change the 4th letter from M to P: STEM → STEP. 4 steps to go.
  6. Change the 3rd letter from E to O: STEP → STOP. 3 steps to go.
  7. Change the 2nd letter from T to L: STOP → SLOP. 2 steps to go.
  8. Change the 1st letter from S to P: SLOP → PLOP. 1 step to go.
  9. Change the 2nd letter from L to O: PLOP → POOP. That spells POOP, so you are done.

First-move traps for ICES

ICES has 4 words one letter away in the Poople word list. 3 of them move 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: ICER.

How hard is Poople #453?

At 9 steps, Poople #453 is rated Brutal. Across the 105 Poople puzzles on this site, the shortest path averages 5.7 steps. Of the other puzzles, 102 were shorter, 1 had the same length and 1 was longer.

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

FAQ

What is the Poople #453 answer?+−
Poople #453 (Nov 10, 2026) starts from ICES. The shortest path is ICES → IDES → IDEM → ITEM → STEM → STEP → STOP → SLOP → PLOP → POOP.
How many steps does Poople #453 take?+−
The shortest path from ICES to POOP takes 9 steps. There are 4 shortest paths.
What is the first move in Poople #453?+−
The official best path starts ICES → IDES. Other shortest paths may start differently; the hints above list every good first move.
Can Poople #453 be solved in fewer than 9 steps?+−
No. 9 steps is the minimum: every word one letter away from ICES is at least 8 steps from POOP.
What was the Poople answer the day before #453?+−
Poople #452 started from WAYS. The shortest path was WAYS → BAYS → BOYS → BOOS → BOOP → POOP. Its hints are on the Poople #452 page in the archive.