Puzzle #158 · Jan 19, 2026
Poople #158 Answer: JAMS to POOP
Poople #158 was the puzzle for Monday, January 19, 2026. The starting word was JAMS, and the shortest ladder to POOP takes 4 steps. We found 1 shortest path 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 #158 hints
Hint 1: Which letter changes first
The first move changes the 1st letter of JAMS, the J.
Hint 2: The next word starts with …
The word after JAMS starts with P. Halfway down, the ladder passes through a word that starts with P.
Hint 3: Show me the full ladder
JAMS → PAMS → POMS → POMP → POOP
4 steps
Step count computed with our word list (ENABLE + SCOWL); the official game uses its own list.
PAMS and POMS are in our word list but marked rare, so the official game may not accept them.
| Step | From | To | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | JAMS | PAMS | 1st letter J to P |
| 2 | PAMS | POMS | 2nd letter A to O |
| 3 | POMS | POMP | 4th letter S to P |
| 4 | POMP | POOP | 3rd letter M to O |
Play this puzzle
Words one letter away from JAMS
These 16 words differ from JAMS 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.
- BAMS rare
- CAMS rare
- DAMS common
- GAMS rare
- HAMS common
- JABS common
- JAGS rare
- JAMB common
- JARS common
- JAWS common
- JAYS common
- LAMS rare
- PAMS rare
- RAMS common
- TAMS rare
- YAMS common
How hard was Poople #158?
By our count it rates Medium: fewest 4 steps. That makes #158 harder than 1% of the 420 puzzles so far.
More Poople puzzles
- Previous: #157 ROTE (Jan 18, 2026)
- Next: #159 HAVE (Jan 20, 2026)
- Same difficulty: #125 WELD, #127 PEAK, #138 HASH
- Every puzzle: Poople archive · Today: today's answer · Random practice: Poople Unlimited
How many steps is Poople #158?
Poople #158 takes 4 steps. We count the fewest steps from JAMS 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 #158?
The starting word for Poople #158 was JAMS, on Monday, January 19, 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 Medium. Hints for it are at the top of this page.
Can I replay Poople #158?
Yes. Press Play this puzzle on this page and the board loads with JAMS 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.