Puzzle #166 · Jan 27, 2026
Poople #166 Answer: ATOM to POOP
Poople #166 was the puzzle for Tuesday, January 27, 2026. The starting word was ATOM, and the shortest ladder to POOP takes 5 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 #166 hints
Hint 1: Which letter changes first
The first move changes the 4th letter of ATOM, the M.
Hint 2: The next word starts with …
The word after ATOM starts with A. Halfway down, the ladder passes through a word that starts with S.
Hint 3: Show me the full ladder
ATOM → ATOP → STOP → SLOP → PLOP → POOP
5 steps
Step count computed with our word list (ENABLE + SCOWL); the official game uses its own list.
ATOP is in our word list but marked rare, so the official game may not accept it.
| Step | From | To | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ATOM | ATOP | 4th letter M to P |
| 2 | ATOP | STOP | 1st letter A to S |
| 3 | STOP | SLOP | 2nd letter T to L |
| 4 | SLOP | PLOP | 1st letter S to P |
| 5 | PLOP | POOP | 2nd letter L to O |
Play this puzzle
Words one letter away from ATOM
These 1 word differ from ATOM 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.
- ATOP rare
How hard was Poople #166?
By our count it rates Hard: fewest 5 steps. That makes #166 harder than 13% of the 420 puzzles so far.
More Poople puzzles
- Previous: #165 PING (Jan 26, 2026)
- Next: #167 PINT (Jan 28, 2026)
- Same difficulty: #162 RIGS, #163 PINK, #164 CITE
- Every puzzle: Poople archive · Today: today's answer · Random practice: Poople Unlimited
How many steps is Poople #166?
Poople #166 takes 5 steps. We count the fewest steps from ATOM 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 #166?
The starting word for Poople #166 was ATOM, on Tuesday, January 27, 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 #166?
Yes. Press Play this puzzle on this page and the board loads with ATOM 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.