Puzzle #12 · Aug 26, 2025
Poople #12 Answer: SAKE to POOP
Poople #12 was the puzzle for Tuesday, August 26, 2025. The starting word was SAKE, and the shortest ladder to POOP takes 5 steps. We found 3 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 #12 hints
Hint 1: Which letter changes first
The first move changes the 3rd letter of SAKE, the K.
Hint 2: The next word starts with …
The word after SAKE starts with S. Halfway down, the ladder passes through a word that starts with P.
Hint 3: Show me the full ladder
SAKE → SAME → SOME → POME → POMP → POOP
5 steps
Step count computed with our word list (ENABLE + SCOWL); the official game uses its own list.
POME is in our word list but marked rare, so the official game may not accept it.
| Step | From | To | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | SAKE | SAME | 3rd letter K to M |
| 2 | SAME | SOME | 2nd letter A to O |
| 3 | SOME | POME | 1st letter S to P |
| 4 | POME | POMP | 4th letter E to P |
| 5 | POMP | POOP | 3rd letter M to O |
Play this puzzle
All shortest paths from SAKE
Our word list allows 3 shortest ladders from SAKE to POOP, each 5 steps. They are folded so they don't give the answer away.
Show all 3 paths
- SAKE → SAME → SOME → POME → POMP → POOP
- SAKE → SOKE → POKE → POME → POMP → POOP
- SAKE → SOKE → SOME → POME → POMP → POOP
Words one letter away from SAKE
These 23 words differ from SAKE 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.
- BAKE common
- CAKE common
- FAKE common
- HAKE rare
- JAKE rare
- LAKE common
- MAKE common
- RAKE common
- SABE rare
- SADE rare
- SAFE common
- SAGE common
- SAKI rare
- SALE common
- SAME common
- SANE common
- SATE rare
- SAVE common
- SIKE rare
- SOKE rare
- SYKE rare
- TAKE common
- WAKE common
How hard was Poople #12?
By our count it rates Hard: fewest 5 steps. That makes #12 harder than 13% of the 420 puzzles so far.
More Poople puzzles
- Previous: #11 OPUS (Aug 25, 2025)
- Next: #13 WIND (Aug 27, 2025)
- Same difficulty: #8 NEAT, #9 FARM, #10 FARE
- Every puzzle: Poople archive · Today: today's answer · Random practice: Poople Unlimited
How many steps is Poople #12?
Poople #12 takes 5 steps. We count the fewest steps from SAKE 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 #12?
The starting word for Poople #12 was SAKE, on Tuesday, August 26, 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 #12?
Yes. Press Play this puzzle on this page and the board loads with SAKE 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.