Puzzle #168 · Jan 29, 2026
Poople #168 Answer: PINE to POOP
Poople #168 was the puzzle for Thursday, January 29, 2026. The starting word was PINE, and the shortest ladder to POOP takes 4 steps. We found 2 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 #168 hints
Hint 1: Which letter changes first
The first move changes the 2nd letter of PINE, the I.
Hint 2: The next word starts with …
The word after PINE starts with P. Halfway down, the ladder passes through a word that starts with P.
Hint 3: Show me the full ladder
PINE → PONE → POND → POOD → POOP
4 steps
Step count computed with our word list (ENABLE + SCOWL); the official game uses its own list.
PONE and POOD are in our word list but marked rare, so the official game may not accept them.
| Step | From | To | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | PINE | PONE | 2nd letter I to O |
| 2 | PONE | POND | 4th letter E to D |
| 3 | POND | POOD | 3rd letter N to O |
| 4 | POOD | POOP | 4th letter D to P |
Play this puzzle
All shortest paths from PINE
Our word list allows 2 shortest ladders from PINE to POOP, each 4 steps. They are folded so they don't give the answer away.
Show all 2 paths
- PINE → PONE → POND → POOD → POOP
- PINE → PONE → POME → POMP → POOP
Words one letter away from PINE
These 24 words differ from PINE 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.
- BINE rare
- CINE rare
- DINE common
- FINE common
- KINE rare
- LINE common
- MINE common
- NINE common
- PANE common
- PICE rare
- PIKE common
- PILE common
- PINA rare
- PING rare
- PINK common
- PINS common
- PINT common
- PINY rare
- PIPE common
- PONE rare
- SINE common
- TINE rare
- VINE common
- WINE common
How hard was Poople #168?
By our count it rates Medium: fewest 4 steps. That makes #168 harder than 1% of the 420 puzzles so far.
More Poople puzzles
- Previous: #167 PINT (Jan 28, 2026)
- Next: #169 QUAD (Jan 30, 2026)
- Same difficulty: #158 JAMS, #160 ROSY, #165 PING
- Every puzzle: Poople archive · Today: today's answer · Random practice: Poople Unlimited
How many steps is Poople #168?
Poople #168 takes 4 steps. We count the fewest steps from PINE 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 #168?
The starting word for Poople #168 was PINE, on Thursday, January 29, 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 #168?
Yes. Press Play this puzzle on this page and the board loads with PINE 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.