Puzzle #141 · Jan 2, 2026
Poople #141 Answer: BYTE to POOP
Poople #141 was the puzzle for Friday, January 2, 2026. The starting word was BYTE, and the shortest ladder to POOP takes 6 steps. We found 8 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 #141 hints
Hint 1: Which letter changes first
The first move changes the 3rd letter of BYTE, the T.
Hint 2: The next word starts with …
The word after BYTE starts with B. Halfway down, the ladder passes through a word that starts with B.
Hint 3: Show me the full ladder
BYTE → BYRE → BORE → BORN → BOON → POON → POOP
6 steps
Step count computed with our word list (ENABLE + SCOWL); the official game uses its own list.
BYRE and POON are in our word list but marked rare, so the official game may not accept them.
| Step | From | To | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | BYTE | BYRE | 3rd letter T to R |
| 2 | BYRE | BORE | 2nd letter Y to O |
| 3 | BORE | BORN | 4th letter E to N |
| 4 | BORN | BOON | 3rd letter R to O |
| 5 | BOON | POON | 1st letter B to P |
| 6 | POON | POOP | 4th letter N to P |
Play this puzzle
All shortest paths from BYTE
Our word list allows 8 shortest ladders from BYTE to POOP, each 6 steps. They are folded so they don't give the answer away.
Show all 8 paths
- BYTE → BYRE → BORE → BORN → BOON → POON → POOP
- BYTE → BYRE → BORE → PORE → POME → POMP → POOP
- BYTE → BYRE → PYRE → PORE → POME → POMP → POOP
- BYTE → BYRE → BORE → BORN → PORN → POON → POOP
- BYTE → BYRE → BORE → GORE → GORP → GOOP → POOP
- BYTE → BYRE → BORE → PORE → PORN → POON → POOP
- BYTE → BYRE → PYRE → PORE → PORN → POON → POOP
- BYTE → BYRE → GYRE → GORE → GORP → GOOP → POOP
Words one letter away from BYTE
These 7 words differ from BYTE 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.
- BATE rare
- BITE common
- BUTE rare
- BYRE rare
- HYTE rare
- KYTE rare
- WYTE rare
How hard was Poople #141?
By our count it rates Expert: fewest 6 steps. That makes #141 harder than 74% of the 420 puzzles so far.
More Poople puzzles
- Previous: #140 BULK (Jan 1, 2026)
- Next: #142 JEST (Jan 3, 2026)
- Same difficulty: #134 ARID, #136 DUET, #139 RICH
- Every puzzle: Poople archive · Today: today's answer · Random practice: Poople Unlimited
How many steps is Poople #141?
Poople #141 takes 6 steps. We count the fewest steps from BYTE 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 #141?
The starting word for Poople #141 was BYTE, on Friday, January 2, 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 Expert. Hints for it are at the top of this page.
Can I replay Poople #141?
Yes. Press Play this puzzle on this page and the board loads with BYTE 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.