Puzzle #116 · Dec 8, 2025
Poople #116 Answer: JETS to POOP
Poople #116 was the puzzle for Monday, December 8, 2025. The starting word was JETS, and the shortest ladder to POOP takes 5 steps. We found 5 different shortest paths with our word list. Open the hints below one at a time if you want a nudge, or reveal the full ladder at the end.
Poople #116 hints
Hint 1: Which letter changes first
The first move changes the 2nd letter of JETS, the E.
Hint 2: The next word starts with …
The word after JETS starts with J. Halfway down, the ladder passes through a word that starts with C.
Hint 3: Show me the full ladder
JETS → JOTS → COTS → COOS → COOP → POOP
5 steps
Step count computed with our word list (ENABLE + SCOWL); the official game uses its own list.
| Step | From | To | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | JETS | JOTS | 2nd letter E to O |
| 2 | JOTS | COTS | 1st letter J to C |
| 3 | COTS | COOS | 3rd letter T to O |
| 4 | COOS | COOP | 4th letter S to P |
| 5 | COOP | POOP | 1st letter C to P |
Play this puzzle
All shortest paths from JETS
Our word list allows 5 shortest ladders from JETS to POOP, each 5 steps. They are folded so they don't give the answer away.
Show all 5 paths
- JETS → JOTS → COTS → COOS → COOP → POOP
- JETS → JOTS → LOTS → LOOS → LOOP → POOP
- JETS → JOTS → POTS → POMS → POMP → POOP
- JETS → LETS → LOTS → LOOS → LOOP → POOP
- JETS → PETS → POTS → POMS → POMP → POOP
Words one letter away from JETS
These 18 words differ from JETS in one letter. Common words are in SCOWL size 35; rare words are only in the ENABLE list, and the official game is more likely to reject them.
- BETS common
- FETS rare
- GETS common
- HETS rare
- JEES rare
- JESS rare
- JETE rare
- JEWS rare
- JOTS common
- JUTS common
- LETS common
- NETS common
- PETS common
- RETS rare
- SETS common
- TETS rare
- VETS common
- WETS common
How hard was Poople #116?
By our count it rates Hard: fewest 5 steps. That makes #116 harder than 13% of the 420 puzzles so far.
More Poople puzzles
- Previous: #115 WAGE (Dec 7, 2025)
- Next: #117 APES (Dec 9, 2025)
- Same difficulty: #110 HARP, #111 FAWN, #114 DUEL
- Every puzzle: Poople archive · Today: today's answer · Random practice: Poople Unlimited
How many steps is Poople #116?
Poople #116 takes 5 steps. We count the fewest steps from JETS to POOP with a breadth-first search over our four-letter word list (ENABLE + SCOWL), and the official game uses its own word list, so its count can differ from ours.
What was the starting word for Poople #116?
The starting word for Poople #116 was JETS, on Monday, December 8, 2025. Every Poople puzzle ends at POOP, so the start word is the only thing that changes from day to day. With our word list this one rates Hard. Hints for it are at the top of this page.
Can I replay Poople #116?
Yes. Press Play this puzzle on this page and the board loads with JETS as the start word, with Undo, Restart and three levels of hints. You can also play unlimited random puzzles on the home page, or pick any other past puzzle from the archive.