Puzzle #157 · Jan 18, 2026
Poople #157 Answer: ROTE to POOP
Poople #157 was the puzzle for Sunday, January 18, 2026. The starting word was ROTE, and the shortest ladder to POOP takes 5 steps. We found 25 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 #157 hints
Hint 1: Which letter changes first
The first move changes the 3rd letter of ROTE, the T.
Hint 2: The next word starts with …
The word after ROTE starts with R. Halfway down, the ladder passes through a word that starts with P.
Hint 3: Show me the full ladder
ROTE → ROLE → POLE → 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 | ROTE | ROLE | 3rd letter T to L |
| 2 | ROLE | POLE | 1st letter R to P |
| 3 | POLE | POLL | 4th letter E to L |
| 4 | POLL | POOL | 3rd letter L to O |
| 5 | POOL | POOP | 4th letter L to P |
Play this puzzle
All shortest paths from ROTE
Our word list allows 25 shortest ladders from ROTE to POOP, each 5 steps. They are folded so they don't give the answer away.
Show all 25 paths
- ROTE → ROLE → POLE → POLL → POOL → POOP
- ROTE → ROLE → ROLL → POLL → POOL → POOP
- ROTE → ROTS → COTS → COOS → COOP → POOP
- ROTE → DOTE → DOME → POME → POMP → POOP
- ROTE → ROLE → HOLE → HOLP → HOOP → POOP
- ROTE → ROLE → POLE → POME → POMP → POOP
- ROTE → ROPE → POPE → POME → POMP → POOP
- ROTE → ROSE → POSE → POME → POMP → POOP
- ROTE → ROTS → LOTS → LOOS → LOOP → POOP
- ROTE → ROTS → POTS → POMS → POMP → POOP
- ROTE → ROTS → ROMS → ROMP → POMP → POOP
- ROTE → TOTE → TOME → POME → POMP → POOP
- ROTE → COTE → COTS → COOS → COOP → POOP
- ROTE → ROTL → ROLL → POLL → POOL → POOP
- ROTE → NOTE → NOME → POME → POMP → POOP
- ROTE → ROLE → ROLF → ROOF → POOF → POOP
- ROTE → ROSE → POSE → POSH → POOH → POOP
- ROTE → ROTS → ROMS → POMS → POMP → POOP
- ROTE → COTE → COME → COMP → COOP → POOP
- ROTE → COTE → COME → COMP → POMP → POOP
- ROTE → COTE → COME → POME → POMP → POOP
- ROTE → ROUE → ROUP → COUP → COOP → POOP
- ROTE → ROUE → ROUP → ROMP → POMP → POOP
- ROTE → MOTE → MOME → POME → POMP → POOP
- ROTE → ROUE → ROUP → LOUP → LOOP → POOP
Words one letter away from ROTE
These 21 words differ from ROTE 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.
- COTE rare
- DOTE common
- MOTE rare
- NOTE common
- RATE common
- RETE rare
- RITE common
- ROBE common
- RODE common
- ROLE common
- ROPE common
- ROSE common
- ROTA rare
- ROTI rare
- ROTL rare
- ROTO rare
- ROTS common
- ROUE rare
- ROVE rare
- TOTE common
- VOTE common
How hard was Poople #157?
By our count it rates Hard: fewest 5 steps. That makes #157 harder than 13% of the 420 puzzles so far.
More Poople puzzles
- Previous: #156 EGGS (Jan 17, 2026)
- Next: #158 JAMS (Jan 19, 2026)
- Same difficulty: #154 SHAG, #155 BUNS, #156 EGGS
- Every puzzle: Poople archive · Today: today's answer · Random practice: Poople Unlimited
How many steps is Poople #157?
Poople #157 takes 5 steps. We count the fewest steps from ROTE 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 #157?
The starting word for Poople #157 was ROTE, on Sunday, January 18, 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 #157?
Yes. Press Play this puzzle on this page and the board loads with ROTE 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.