Puzzle #172 · Feb 2, 2026
Poople #172 Answer: PINS to POOP
Poople #172 was the puzzle for Monday, February 2, 2026. The starting word was PINS, 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 #172 hints
Hint 1: Which letter changes first
The first move changes the 2nd letter of PINS, the I.
Hint 2: The next word starts with …
The word after PINS starts with P. Halfway down, the ladder passes through a word that starts with P.
Hint 3: Show me the full ladder
PINS → PONS → POND → POOD → POOP
4 steps
Step count computed with our word list (ENABLE + SCOWL); the official game uses its own list.
PONS and POOD are in our word list but marked rare, so the official game may not accept them.
| Step | From | To | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | PINS | PONS | 2nd letter I to O |
| 2 | PONS | POND | 4th letter S 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 PINS
Our word list allows 2 shortest ladders from PINS to POOP, each 4 steps. They are folded so they don't give the answer away.
Show all 2 paths
- PINS → PONS → POND → POOD → POOP
- PINS → PONS → POMS → POMP → POOP
Words one letter away from PINS
These 32 words differ from PINS 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.
- AINS rare
- BINS common
- DINS common
- FINS common
- GINS common
- HINS rare
- JINS rare
- KINS rare
- LINS rare
- PANS common
- PENS common
- PIAS rare
- PICS rare
- PIES common
- PIGS common
- PINA rare
- PINE common
- PING rare
- PINK common
- PINT common
- PINY rare
- PIPS rare
- PISS rare
- PITS common
- PONS rare
- PUNS common
- RINS rare
- SINS common
- TINS common
- WINS common
- YINS rare
- ZINS rare
How hard was Poople #172?
By our count it rates Medium: fewest 4 steps. That makes #172 harder than 1% of the 420 puzzles so far.
More Poople puzzles
- Previous: #171 WAIT (Feb 1, 2026)
- Next: #173 WRIT (Feb 3, 2026)
- Same difficulty: #160 ROSY, #165 PING, #168 PINE
- Every puzzle: Poople archive · Today: today's answer · Random practice: Poople Unlimited
How many steps is Poople #172?
Poople #172 takes 4 steps. We count the fewest steps from PINS 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 #172?
The starting word for Poople #172 was PINS, on Monday, February 2, 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 #172?
Yes. Press Play this puzzle on this page and the board loads with PINS 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.