Puzzle #176 · Feb 6, 2026
Poople #176 Answer: BUOY to POOP
Poople #176 was the puzzle for Friday, February 6, 2026. The starting word was BUOY, and the shortest ladder to POOP takes 6 steps. We found 5 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 #176 hints
Hint 1: Which letter changes first
The first move changes the 3rd letter of BUOY, the O.
Hint 2: The next word starts with …
The word after BUOY starts with B. Halfway down, the ladder passes through a word that starts with B.
Hint 3: Show me the full ladder
BUOY → BURY → BURP → BUMP → PUMP → POMP → POOP
6 steps
Step count computed with our word list (ENABLE + SCOWL); the official game uses its own list.
| Step | From | To | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | BUOY | BURY | 3rd letter O to R |
| 2 | BURY | BURP | 4th letter Y to P |
| 3 | BURP | BUMP | 3rd letter R to M |
| 4 | BUMP | PUMP | 1st letter B to P |
| 5 | PUMP | POMP | 2nd letter U to O |
| 6 | POMP | POOP | 3rd letter M to O |
Play this puzzle
All shortest paths from BUOY
Our word list allows 5 shortest ladders from BUOY to POOP, each 6 steps. They are folded so they don't give the answer away.
Show all 5 paths
- BUOY → BURY → BURP → BUMP → PUMP → POMP → POOP
- BUOY → BURY → BURN → BORN → BOON → POON → POOP
- BUOY → BURY → BURN → BORN → PORN → POON → POOP
- BUOY → BUSY → BUSH → PUSH → POSH → POOH → POOP
- BUOY → BUSY → BUSH → BOSH → POSH → POOH → POOP
Words one letter away from BUOY
These 2 words differ from BUOY 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.
- BURY common
- BUSY common
How hard was Poople #176?
By our count it rates Expert: fewest 6 steps. That makes #176 harder than 74% of the 420 puzzles so far.
More Poople puzzles
- Previous: #175 RIFT (Feb 5, 2026)
- Next: #177 ETCH (Feb 7, 2026)
- Same difficulty: #153 EVER, #171 WAIT, #173 WRIT
- Every puzzle: Poople archive · Today: today's answer · Random practice: Poople Unlimited
How many steps is Poople #176?
Poople #176 takes 6 steps. We count the fewest steps from BUOY 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 #176?
The starting word for Poople #176 was BUOY, on Friday, February 6, 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 #176?
Yes. Press Play this puzzle on this page and the board loads with BUOY 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.