Puzzle #169 · Jan 30, 2026
Poople #169 Answer: QUAD to POOP
Poople #169 was the puzzle for Friday, January 30, 2026. The starting word was QUAD, and the shortest ladder to POOP takes 7 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 #169 hints
Hint 1: Which letter changes first
The first move changes the 1st letter of QUAD, the Q.
Hint 2: The next word starts with …
The word after QUAD starts with D. Halfway down, the ladder passes through a word that starts with D.
Hint 3: Show me the full ladder
QUAD → DUAD → DUAL → DULL → DOLL → POLL → POOL → POOP
7 steps
Step count computed with our word list (ENABLE + SCOWL); the official game uses its own list.
DUAD is in our word list but marked rare, so the official game may not accept it.
| Step | From | To | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | QUAD | DUAD | 1st letter Q to D |
| 2 | DUAD | DUAL | 4th letter D to L |
| 3 | DUAL | DULL | 3rd letter A to L |
| 4 | DULL | DOLL | 2nd letter U to O |
| 5 | DOLL | POLL | 1st letter D to P |
| 6 | POLL | POOL | 3rd letter L to O |
| 7 | POOL | POOP | 4th letter L to P |
Play this puzzle
All shortest paths from QUAD
Our word list allows 4 shortest ladders from QUAD to POOP, each 7 steps. They are folded so they don't give the answer away.
Show all 4 paths
- QUAD → DUAD → DUAL → DULL → DOLL → POLL → POOL → POOP
- QUAD → DUAD → DUAL → DULL → PULL → POLL → POOL → POOP
- QUAD → DUAD → DEAD → DEAN → PEAN → PEON → POON → POOP
- QUAD → DUAD → DEAD → READ → ROAD → ROOD → POOD → POOP
Words one letter away from QUAD
These 6 words differ from QUAD 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.
- DUAD rare
- QUAG rare
- QUAI rare
- QUAY common
- QUID rare
- QUOD rare
How hard was Poople #169?
By our count it rates Expert: fewest 7 steps. That makes #169 harder than 93% of the 420 puzzles so far.
More Poople puzzles
- Previous: #168 PINE (Jan 29, 2026)
- Next: #170 SAVE (Jan 31, 2026)
- Same difficulty: #147 EVEN, #151 APEX, #161 OWLS
- Every puzzle: Poople archive · Today: today's answer · Random practice: Poople Unlimited
How many steps is Poople #169?
Poople #169 takes 7 steps. We count the fewest steps from QUAD 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 #169?
The starting word for Poople #169 was QUAD, on Friday, January 30, 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 Expert. Hints for it are at the top of this page.
Can I replay Poople #169?
Yes. Press Play this puzzle on this page and the board loads with QUAD 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.