Puzzle #139 · Dec 31, 2025
Poople #139 Answer: RICH to POOP
Poople #139 was the puzzle for Wednesday, December 31, 2025. The starting word was RICH, and the shortest ladder to POOP takes 6 steps. We found 14 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 #139 hints
Hint 1: Which letter changes first
The first move changes the 1st letter of RICH, the R.
Hint 2: The next word starts with …
The word after RICH starts with L. Halfway down, the ladder passes through a word that starts with L.
Hint 3: Show me the full ladder
RICH → LICH → LICK → LOCK → LOOK → LOOP → POOP
6 steps
Step count computed with our word list (ENABLE + SCOWL); the official game uses its own list.
LICH is in our word list but marked rare, so the official game may not accept it.
| Step | From | To | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | RICH | LICH | 1st letter R to L |
| 2 | LICH | LICK | 4th letter H to K |
| 3 | LICK | LOCK | 2nd letter I to O |
| 4 | LOCK | LOOK | 3rd letter C to O |
| 5 | LOOK | LOOP | 4th letter K to P |
| 6 | LOOP | POOP | 1st letter L to P |
Play this puzzle
All shortest paths from RICH
Our word list allows 14 shortest ladders from RICH to POOP, each 6 steps. They are folded so they don't give the answer away.
Show all 14 paths
- RICH → LICH → LICK → LOCK → LOOK → LOOP → POOP
- RICH → RICK → HICK → HOCK → HOOK → HOOP → POOP
- RICH → RICK → LICK → LOCK → LOOK → LOOP → POOP
- RICH → RICK → ROCK → COCK → COOK → COOP → POOP
- RICH → RICK → ROCK → HOCK → HOOK → HOOP → POOP
- RICH → RICK → ROCK → LOCK → LOOK → LOOP → POOP
- RICH → RICK → ROCK → ROOK → COOK → COOP → POOP
- RICH → RICK → ROCK → ROOK → HOOK → HOOP → POOP
- RICH → RICK → ROCK → ROOK → LOOK → LOOP → POOP
- RICH → LICH → LOCH → LOCK → LOOK → LOOP → POOP
- RICH → RICK → ROCK → ROOK → ROOF → POOF → POOP
- RICH → RICK → ROCK → ROOK → GOOK → GOOP → POOP
- RICH → RICK → ROCK → ROOK → ROOD → POOD → POOP
- RICH → WICH → WISH → PISH → POSH → POOH → POOP
Words one letter away from RICH
These 4 words differ from RICH 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.
- LICH rare
- RICE common
- RICK rare
- WICH rare
How hard was Poople #139?
By our count it rates Expert: fewest 6 steps. That makes #139 harder than 74% of the 420 puzzles so far.
More Poople puzzles
- Previous: #138 HASH (Dec 30, 2025)
- Next: #140 BULK (Jan 1, 2026)
- Same difficulty: #132 RIFF, #134 ARID, #136 DUET
- Every puzzle: Poople archive · Today: today's answer · Random practice: Poople Unlimited
How many steps is Poople #139?
Poople #139 takes 6 steps. We count the fewest steps from RICH 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 #139?
The starting word for Poople #139 was RICH, on Wednesday, December 31, 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 Expert. Hints for it are at the top of this page.
Can I replay Poople #139?
Yes. Press Play this puzzle on this page and the board loads with RICH 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.