Puzzle #159 · Jan 20, 2026
Poople #159 Answer: HAVE to POOP
Poople #159 was the puzzle for Tuesday, January 20, 2026. The starting word was HAVE, and the shortest ladder to POOP takes 5 steps. We found 4 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 #159 hints
Hint 1: Which letter changes first
The first move changes the 3rd letter of HAVE, the V.
Hint 2: The next word starts with …
The word after HAVE starts with H. Halfway down, the ladder passes through a word that starts with H.
Hint 3: Show me the full ladder
HAVE → HALE → HOLE → HOLP → HOOP → POOP
5 steps
Step count computed with our word list (ENABLE + SCOWL); the official game uses its own list.
HOLP is in our word list but marked rare, so the official game may not accept it.
| Step | From | To | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | HAVE | HALE | 3rd letter V to L |
| 2 | HALE | HOLE | 2nd letter A to O |
| 3 | HOLE | HOLP | 4th letter E to P |
| 4 | HOLP | HOOP | 3rd letter L to O |
| 5 | HOOP | POOP | 1st letter H to P |
Play this puzzle
All shortest paths from HAVE
Our word list allows 4 shortest ladders from HAVE to POOP, each 5 steps. They are folded so they don't give the answer away.
Show all 4 paths
- HAVE → HALE → HOLE → HOLP → HOOP → POOP
- HAVE → HOVE → HOLE → HOLP → HOOP → POOP
- HAVE → HOVE → HOME → POME → POMP → POOP
- HAVE → HAME → HOME → POME → POMP → POOP
Words one letter away from HAVE
These 19 words differ from HAVE 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.
- CAVE common
- EAVE rare
- FAVE rare
- GAVE common
- HADE rare
- HAKE rare
- HALE common
- HAME rare
- HARE common
- HATE common
- HAZE common
- HIVE common
- HOVE common
- LAVE rare
- NAVE rare
- PAVE common
- RAVE common
- SAVE common
- WAVE common
How hard was Poople #159?
By our count it rates Hard: fewest 5 steps. That makes #159 harder than 13% of the 420 puzzles so far.
More Poople puzzles
- Previous: #158 JAMS (Jan 19, 2026)
- Next: #160 ROSY (Jan 21, 2026)
- Same difficulty: #155 BUNS, #156 EGGS, #157 ROTE
- Every puzzle: Poople archive · Today: today's answer · Random practice: Poople Unlimited
How many steps is Poople #159?
Poople #159 takes 5 steps. We count the fewest steps from HAVE 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 #159?
The starting word for Poople #159 was HAVE, on Tuesday, January 20, 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 #159?
Yes. Press Play this puzzle on this page and the board loads with HAVE 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.