Puzzle #181 · Feb 11, 2026
Poople #181 Answer: QUAY to POOP
Poople #181 was the puzzle for Wednesday, February 11, 2026. The starting word was QUAY, and the shortest ladder to POOP takes 8 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 #181 hints
Hint 1: Which letter changes first
The first move changes the 4th letter of QUAY, the Y.
Hint 2: The next word starts with …
The word after QUAY starts with Q. Halfway down, the ladder passes through a word that starts with D.
Hint 3: Show me the full ladder
QUAY → QUAD → DUAD → DUAL → DULL → DOLL → POLL → POOL → POOP
8 steps
Step count computed with our word list (ENABLE + SCOWL); the official game uses its own list.
QUAD and DUAD are in our word list but marked rare, so the official game may not accept them.
| Step | From | To | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | QUAY | QUAD | 4th letter Y to D |
| 2 | QUAD | DUAD | 1st letter Q to D |
| 3 | DUAD | DUAL | 4th letter D to L |
| 4 | DUAL | DULL | 3rd letter A to L |
| 5 | DULL | DOLL | 2nd letter U to O |
| 6 | DOLL | POLL | 1st letter D to P |
| 7 | POLL | POOL | 3rd letter L to O |
| 8 | POOL | POOP | 4th letter L to P |
Play this puzzle
All shortest paths from QUAY
Our word list allows 4 shortest ladders from QUAY to POOP, each 8 steps. They are folded so they don't give the answer away.
Show all 4 paths
- QUAY → QUAD → DUAD → DUAL → DULL → DOLL → POLL → POOL → POOP
- QUAY → QUAD → DUAD → DUAL → DULL → PULL → POLL → POOL → POOP
- QUAY → QUAD → DUAD → DEAD → DEAN → PEAN → PEON → POON → POOP
- QUAY → QUAD → DUAD → DEAD → READ → ROAD → ROOD → POOD → POOP
Words one letter away from QUAY
These 4 words differ from QUAY 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.
- QUAD rare
- QUAG rare
- QUAI rare
- QUEY rare
How hard was Poople #181?
By our count it rates Expert: fewest 8 steps. That makes #181 harder than 98% of the 420 puzzles so far.
More Poople puzzles
- Previous: #180 HAUL (Feb 10, 2026)
- Next: #182 LAID (Feb 12, 2026)
- Same difficulty: #31 ARCH, #57 AREA, #299 APPS
- Every puzzle: Poople archive · Today: today's answer · Random practice: Poople Unlimited
How many steps is Poople #181?
Poople #181 takes 8 steps. We count the fewest steps from QUAY 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 #181?
The starting word for Poople #181 was QUAY, on Wednesday, February 11, 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 #181?
Yes. Press Play this puzzle on this page and the board loads with QUAY 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.