Puzzle #183 · Feb 13, 2026

Poople #183 Answer: CELL to POOP

Poople #183 was the puzzle for Friday, February 13, 2026. The starting word was CELL, and the shortest ladder to POOP takes 5 steps. We found 13 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 #183 hints

Hint 1: Which letter changes first

The first move changes the 2nd letter of CELL, the E.

Hint 2: The next word starts with …

The word after CELL starts with C. Halfway down, the ladder passes through a word that starts with P.

Hint 3: Show me the full ladder

CELL → CALL → PALL → POLL → POOL → POOP

Shortest ladder Hard

5 steps

Step count computed with our word list (ENABLE + SCOWL); the official game uses its own list.

Letter changes, step by step
StepFromToChange
1CELLCALL2nd letter E to A
2CALLPALL1st letter C to P
3PALLPOLL2nd letter A to O
4POLLPOOL3rd letter L to O
5POOLPOOP4th letter L to P
Play this puzzle

All shortest paths from CELL

Our word list allows 13 shortest ladders from CELL to POOP, each 5 steps. They are folded so they don't give the answer away.

Show all 13 paths
  1. CELL → CALL → PALL → POLL → POOL → POOP
  2. CELL → CULL → PULL → POLL → POOL → POOP
  3. CELL → TELL → TOLL → POLL → POOL → POOP
  4. CELL → TELL → TOLL → TOOL → POOL → POOP
  5. CELL → BELL → BOLL → POLL → POOL → POOP
  6. CELL → HELL → HELP → HOLP → HOOP → POOP
  7. CELL → CEIL → COIL → COOL → COOP → POOP
  8. CELL → CEIL → COIL → COOL → POOL → POOP
  9. CELL → DELL → DOLL → POLL → POOL → POOP
  10. CELL → CELS → COLS → COOS → COOP → POOP
  11. CELL → CELT → COLT → COOT → COOP → POOP
  12. CELL → MELL → MOLL → POLL → POOL → POOP
  13. CELL → MELL → MOLL → MOOL → POOL → POOP

Words one letter away from CELL

These 15 words differ from CELL 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.

  • BELL common
  • CALL common
  • CEIL rare
  • CELS rare
  • CELT rare
  • CULL common
  • DELL rare
  • FELL common
  • HELL common
  • JELL common
  • MELL rare
  • SELL common
  • TELL common
  • WELL common
  • YELL common

How hard was Poople #183?

By our count it rates Hard: fewest 5 steps. That makes #183 harder than 13% of the 420 puzzles so far.

More Poople puzzles

How many steps is Poople #183?

Poople #183 takes 5 steps. We count the fewest steps from CELL 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 #183?

The starting word for Poople #183 was CELL, on Friday, February 13, 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 #183?

Yes. Press Play this puzzle on this page and the board loads with CELL 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.