Puzzle #174 · Feb 4, 2026
Poople #174 Answer: SHAM to POOP
Poople #174 was the puzzle for Wednesday, February 4, 2026. The starting word was SHAM, and the shortest ladder to POOP takes 5 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 #174 hints
Hint 1: Which letter changes first
The first move changes the 2nd letter of SHAM, the H.
Hint 2: The next word starts with …
The word after SHAM starts with S. Halfway down, the ladder passes through a word that starts with S.
Hint 3: Show me the full ladder
SHAM → SLAM → SLAP → SLOP → PLOP → POOP
5 steps
Step count computed with our word list (ENABLE + SCOWL); the official game uses its own list.
| Step | From | To | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | SHAM | SLAM | 2nd letter H to L |
| 2 | SLAM | SLAP | 4th letter M to P |
| 3 | SLAP | SLOP | 3rd letter A to O |
| 4 | SLOP | PLOP | 1st letter S to P |
| 5 | PLOP | POOP | 2nd letter L to O |
Play this puzzle
All shortest paths from SHAM
Our word list allows 2 shortest ladders from SHAM to POOP, each 5 steps. They are folded so they don't give the answer away.
Show all 2 paths
- SHAM → SLAM → SLAP → SLOP → PLOP → POOP
- SHAM → CHAM → CHAP → CHOP → COOP → POOP
Words one letter away from SHAM
These 13 words differ from SHAM 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.
- CHAM rare
- SCAM rare
- SEAM common
- SHAD rare
- SHAG rare
- SHAH rare
- SHAT rare
- SHAW rare
- SHAY rare
- SHIM rare
- SLAM common
- SWAM common
- WHAM rare
How hard was Poople #174?
By our count it rates Hard: fewest 5 steps. That makes #174 harder than 13% of the 420 puzzles so far.
More Poople puzzles
- Previous: #173 WRIT (Feb 3, 2026)
- Next: #175 RIFT (Feb 5, 2026)
- Same difficulty: #166 ATOM, #167 PINT, #170 SAVE
- Every puzzle: Poople archive · Today: today's answer · Random practice: Poople Unlimited
How many steps is Poople #174?
Poople #174 takes 5 steps. We count the fewest steps from SHAM 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 #174?
The starting word for Poople #174 was SHAM, on Wednesday, February 4, 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 #174?
Yes. Press Play this puzzle on this page and the board loads with SHAM 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.