Puzzle #154 · Jan 15, 2026
Poople #154 Answer: SHAG to POOP
Poople #154 was the puzzle for Thursday, January 15, 2026. The starting word was SHAG, and the shortest ladder to POOP takes 5 steps. We found 5 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 #154 hints
Hint 1: Which letter changes first
The first move changes the 2nd letter of SHAG, the H.
Hint 2: The next word starts with …
The word after SHAG starts with S. Halfway down, the ladder passes through a word that starts with S.
Hint 3: Show me the full ladder
SHAG → SLAG → SLAP → SLOP → PLOP → POOP
5 steps
Step count computed with our word list (ENABLE + SCOWL); the official game uses its own list.
| Step | From | To | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | SHAG | SLAG | 2nd letter H to L |
| 2 | SLAG | SLAP | 4th letter G to P |
| 3 | SLAP | SLOP | 3rd letter A to O |
| 4 | SLOP | PLOP | 1st letter S to P |
| 5 | PLOP | POOP | 2nd letter L to O |
Play this puzzle
All shortest paths from SHAG
Our word list allows 5 shortest ladders from SHAG to POOP, each 5 steps. They are folded so they don't give the answer away.
Show all 5 paths
- SHAG → SLAG → SLAP → SLOP → PLOP → POOP
- SHAG → SLAG → SLOG → SLOP → PLOP → POOP
- SHAG → SHOG → SHOP → CHOP → COOP → POOP
- SHAG → SHOG → SHOP → SLOP → PLOP → POOP
- SHAG → SHOG → SLOG → SLOP → PLOP → POOP
Words one letter away from SHAG
These 13 words differ from SHAG 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.
- SCAG rare
- SHAD rare
- SHAH rare
- SHAM common
- SHAT rare
- SHAW rare
- SHAY rare
- SHOG rare
- SKAG rare
- SLAG common
- SNAG common
- STAG common
- SWAG rare
How hard was Poople #154?
By our count it rates Hard: fewest 5 steps. That makes #154 harder than 13% of the 420 puzzles so far.
More Poople puzzles
- Previous: #153 EVER (Jan 14, 2026)
- Next: #155 BUNS (Jan 16, 2026)
- Same difficulty: #148 BULB, #149 WENT, #150 HATS
- Every puzzle: Poople archive · Today: today's answer · Random practice: Poople Unlimited
How many steps is Poople #154?
Poople #154 takes 5 steps. We count the fewest steps from SHAG 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 #154?
The starting word for Poople #154 was SHAG, on Thursday, January 15, 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 #154?
Yes. Press Play this puzzle on this page and the board loads with SHAG 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.