Puzzle #151 · Jan 12, 2026
Poople #151 Answer: APEX to POOP
Poople #151 was the puzzle for Monday, January 12, 2026. The starting word was APEX, and the shortest ladder to POOP takes 7 steps. We found 2 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 #151 hints
Hint 1: Which letter changes first
The first move changes the 4th letter of APEX, the X.
Hint 2: The next word starts with …
The word after APEX starts with A. Halfway down, the ladder passes through a word that starts with P.
Hint 3: Show me the full ladder
APEX → APED → SPED → SLED → PLED → PLOD → PLOP → POOP
7 steps
Step count computed with our word list (ENABLE + SCOWL); the official game uses its own list.
PLED is in our word list but marked rare, so the official game may not accept it.
| Step | From | To | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | APEX | APED | 4th letter X to D |
| 2 | APED | SPED | 1st letter A to S |
| 3 | SPED | SLED | 2nd letter P to L |
| 4 | SLED | PLED | 1st letter S to P |
| 5 | PLED | PLOD | 3rd letter E to O |
| 6 | PLOD | PLOP | 4th letter D to P |
| 7 | PLOP | POOP | 2nd letter L to O |
Play this puzzle
All shortest paths from APEX
Our word list allows 2 shortest ladders from APEX to POOP, each 7 steps. They are folded so they don't give the answer away.
Show all 2 paths
- APEX → APED → SPED → SLED → PLED → PLOD → PLOP → POOP
- APEX → APED → SPED → SLED → PLED → PLOD → POOD → POOP
Words one letter away from APEX
These 3 words differ from APEX 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.
- APED common
- APER rare
- APES common
How hard was Poople #151?
By our count it rates Expert: fewest 7 steps. That makes #151 harder than 93% of the 420 puzzles so far.
More Poople puzzles
- Previous: #150 HATS (Jan 11, 2026)
- Next: #152 GOSH (Jan 13, 2026)
- Same difficulty: #117 APES, #130 ARIA, #147 EVEN
- Every puzzle: Poople archive · Today: today's answer · Random practice: Poople Unlimited
How many steps is Poople #151?
Poople #151 takes 7 steps. We count the fewest steps from APEX 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 #151?
The starting word for Poople #151 was APEX, on Monday, January 12, 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 #151?
Yes. Press Play this puzzle on this page and the board loads with APEX 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.