Puzzle #140 · Jan 1, 2026
Poople #140 Answer: BULK to POOP
Poople #140 was the puzzle for Thursday, January 1, 2026. The starting word was BULK, and the shortest ladder to POOP takes 5 steps. We found 4 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 #140 hints
Hint 1: Which letter changes first
The first move changes the 4th letter of BULK, the K.
Hint 2: The next word starts with …
The word after BULK starts with B. Halfway down, the ladder passes through a word that starts with P.
Hint 3: Show me the full ladder
BULK → BULL → PULL → POLL → POOL → POOP
5 steps
Step count computed with our word list (ENABLE + SCOWL); the official game uses its own list.
| Step | From | To | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | BULK | BULL | 4th letter K to L |
| 2 | BULL | PULL | 1st letter B to P |
| 3 | PULL | POLL | 2nd letter U to O |
| 4 | POLL | POOL | 3rd letter L to O |
| 5 | POOL | POOP | 4th letter L to P |
Play this puzzle
All shortest paths from BULK
Our word list allows 4 shortest ladders from BULK to POOP, each 5 steps. They are folded so they don't give the answer away.
Show all 4 paths
- BULK → BULL → PULL → POLL → POOL → POOP
- BULK → BULL → BOLL → POLL → POOL → POOP
- BULK → HULK → HOLK → HOOK → HOOP → POOP
- BULK → HULK → HOLK → HOLP → HOOP → POOP
Words one letter away from BULK
These 9 words differ from BULK 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.
- BALK common
- BILK rare
- BUCK common
- BULB common
- BULL common
- BUNK common
- BUSK rare
- HULK common
- SULK common
How hard was Poople #140?
By our count it rates Hard: fewest 5 steps. That makes #140 harder than 13% of the 420 puzzles so far.
More Poople puzzles
- Previous: #139 RICH (Dec 31, 2025)
- Next: #141 BYTE (Jan 2, 2026)
- Same difficulty: #131 WITS, #133 WELT, #135 SASS
- Every puzzle: Poople archive · Today: today's answer · Random practice: Poople Unlimited
How many steps is Poople #140?
Poople #140 takes 5 steps. We count the fewest steps from BULK 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 #140?
The starting word for Poople #140 was BULK, on Thursday, January 1, 2026. 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 #140?
Yes. Press Play this puzzle on this page and the board loads with BULK 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.