Puzzle #142 · Jan 3, 2026
Poople #142 Answer: JEST to POOP
Poople #142 was the puzzle for Saturday, January 3, 2026. The starting word was JEST, 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 #142 hints
Hint 1: Which letter changes first
The first move changes the 1st letter of JEST, the J.
Hint 2: The next word starts with …
The word after JEST starts with L. Halfway down, the ladder passes through a word that starts with L.
Hint 3: Show me the full ladder
JEST → LEST → LOST → LOOT → LOOP → POOP
5 steps
Step count computed with our word list (ENABLE + SCOWL); the official game uses its own list.
| Step | From | To | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | JEST | LEST | 1st letter J to L |
| 2 | LEST | LOST | 2nd letter E to O |
| 3 | LOST | LOOT | 3rd letter S to O |
| 4 | LOOT | LOOP | 4th letter T to P |
| 5 | LOOP | POOP | 1st letter L to P |
Play this puzzle
All shortest paths from JEST
Our word list allows 3 shortest ladders from JEST to POOP, each 5 steps. They are folded so they don't give the answer away.
Show all 3 paths
- JEST → LEST → LOST → LOOT → LOOP → POOP
- JEST → HEST → HOST → HOOT → HOOP → POOP
- JEST → PEST → POST → POSH → POOH → POOP
Words one letter away from JEST
These 13 words differ from JEST 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.
- BEST common
- GEST rare
- HEST rare
- JESS rare
- JUST common
- LEST common
- NEST common
- PEST common
- REST common
- TEST common
- VEST common
- WEST common
- ZEST common
How hard was Poople #142?
By our count it rates Hard: fewest 5 steps. That makes #142 harder than 13% of the 420 puzzles so far.
More Poople puzzles
- Previous: #141 BYTE (Jan 2, 2026)
- Next: #143 GIGA (Jan 4, 2026)
- Same difficulty: #133 WELT, #135 SASS, #140 BULK
- Every puzzle: Poople archive · Today: today's answer · Random practice: Poople Unlimited
How many steps is Poople #142?
Poople #142 takes 5 steps. We count the fewest steps from JEST 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 #142?
The starting word for Poople #142 was JEST, on Saturday, January 3, 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 #142?
Yes. Press Play this puzzle on this page and the board loads with JEST 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.