Puzzle #164 · Jan 25, 2026
Poople #164 Answer: CITE to POOP
Poople #164 was the puzzle for Sunday, January 25, 2026. The starting word was CITE, 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 #164 hints
Hint 1: Which letter changes first
The first move changes the 2nd letter of CITE, the I.
Hint 2: The next word starts with …
The word after CITE starts with C. Halfway down, the ladder passes through a word that starts with C.
Hint 3: Show me the full ladder
CITE → COTE → COTS → COOS → COOP → POOP
5 steps
Step count computed with our word list (ENABLE + SCOWL); the official game uses its own list.
COTE is in our word list but marked rare, so the official game may not accept it.
| Step | From | To | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CITE | COTE | 2nd letter I to O |
| 2 | COTE | COTS | 4th letter E to S |
| 3 | COTS | COOS | 3rd letter T to O |
| 4 | COOS | COOP | 4th letter S to P |
| 5 | COOP | POOP | 1st letter C to P |
Play this puzzle
All shortest paths from CITE
Our word list allows 4 shortest ladders from CITE to POOP, each 5 steps. They are folded so they don't give the answer away.
Show all 4 paths
- CITE → COTE → COTS → COOS → COOP → POOP
- CITE → COTE → COME → COMP → COOP → POOP
- CITE → COTE → COME → COMP → POMP → POOP
- CITE → COTE → COME → POME → POMP → POOP
Words one letter away from CITE
These 16 words differ from CITE 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.
- BITE common
- CATE rare
- CETE rare
- CINE rare
- CIRE rare
- CITY common
- COTE rare
- CUTE common
- DITE rare
- KITE common
- LITE rare
- MITE common
- NITE rare
- RITE common
- SITE common
- WITE rare
How hard was Poople #164?
By our count it rates Hard: fewest 5 steps. That makes #164 harder than 13% of the 420 puzzles so far.
More Poople puzzles
- Previous: #163 PINK (Jan 24, 2026)
- Next: #165 PING (Jan 26, 2026)
- Same difficulty: #159 HAVE, #162 RIGS, #163 PINK
- Every puzzle: Poople archive · Today: today's answer · Random practice: Poople Unlimited
How many steps is Poople #164?
Poople #164 takes 5 steps. We count the fewest steps from CITE 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 #164?
The starting word for Poople #164 was CITE, on Sunday, January 25, 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 #164?
Yes. Press Play this puzzle on this page and the board loads with CITE 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.