Puzzle #187 · Feb 17, 2026
Poople #187 Answer: ANEW to POOP
Poople #187 was the puzzle for Tuesday, February 17, 2026. The starting word was ANEW, and the shortest ladder to POOP takes 7 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 #187 hints
Hint 1: Which letter changes first
The first move changes the 1st letter of ANEW, the A.
Hint 2: The next word starts with …
The word after ANEW starts with K. Halfway down, the ladder passes through a word that starts with S.
Hint 3: Show me the full ladder
ANEW → KNEW → KNOW → SNOW → SLOW → PLOW → PLOP → POOP
7 steps
Step count computed with our word list (ENABLE + SCOWL); the official game uses its own list.
| Step | From | To | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ANEW | KNEW | 1st letter A to K |
| 2 | KNEW | KNOW | 3rd letter E to O |
| 3 | KNOW | SNOW | 1st letter K to S |
| 4 | SNOW | SLOW | 2nd letter N to L |
| 5 | SLOW | PLOW | 1st letter S to P |
| 6 | PLOW | PLOP | 4th letter W to P |
| 7 | PLOP | POOP | 2nd letter L to O |
Play this puzzle
All shortest paths from ANEW
Our word list allows 2 shortest ladders from ANEW to POOP, each 7 steps. They are folded so they don't give the answer away.
Show all 2 paths
- ANEW → KNEW → KNOW → SNOW → SLOW → PLOW → PLOP → POOP
- ANEW → KNEW → KNOW → SNOW → SLOW → SLOP → PLOP → POOP
Words one letter away from ANEW
These 2 words differ from ANEW 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.
- ANES rare
- KNEW common
How hard was Poople #187?
By our count it rates Expert: fewest 7 steps. That makes #187 harder than 93% of the 420 puzzles so far.
More Poople puzzles
- Previous: #186 LAIR (Feb 16, 2026)
- Next: #188 GOTH (Feb 18, 2026)
- Same difficulty: #161 OWLS, #169 QUAD, #177 ETCH
- Every puzzle: Poople archive · Today: today's answer · Random practice: Poople Unlimited
How many steps is Poople #187?
Poople #187 takes 7 steps. We count the fewest steps from ANEW 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 #187?
The starting word for Poople #187 was ANEW, on Tuesday, February 17, 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 #187?
Yes. Press Play this puzzle on this page and the board loads with ANEW 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.