Puzzle #188 · Feb 18, 2026
Poople #188 Answer: GOTH to POOP
Poople #188 was the puzzle for Wednesday, February 18, 2026. The starting word was GOTH, and the shortest ladder to POOP takes 4 steps. We found 1 shortest path 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 #188 hints
Hint 1: Which letter changes first
The first move changes the 3rd letter of GOTH, the T.
Hint 2: The next word starts with …
The word after GOTH starts with G. Halfway down, the ladder passes through a word that starts with P.
Hint 3: Show me the full ladder
GOTH → GOSH → POSH → POOH → POOP
4 steps
Step count computed with our word list (ENABLE + SCOWL); the official game uses its own list.
POSH and POOH are in our word list but marked rare, so the official game may not accept them.
| Step | From | To | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GOTH | GOSH | 3rd letter T to S |
| 2 | GOSH | POSH | 1st letter G to P |
| 3 | POSH | POOH | 3rd letter S to O |
| 4 | POOH | POOP | 4th letter H to P |
Play this puzzle
Words one letter away from GOTH
These 6 words differ from GOTH 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.
- BOTH common
- DOTH common
- GOSH common
- LOTH rare
- MOTH common
- SOTH rare
How hard was Poople #188?
By our count it rates Medium: fewest 4 steps. That makes #188 harder than 1% of the 420 puzzles so far.
More Poople puzzles
- Previous: #187 ANEW (Feb 17, 2026)
- Next: #189 ARMY (Feb 19, 2026)
- Same difficulty: #165 PING, #168 PINE, #172 PINS
- Every puzzle: Poople archive · Today: today's answer · Random practice: Poople Unlimited
How many steps is Poople #188?
Poople #188 takes 4 steps. We count the fewest steps from GOTH 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 #188?
The starting word for Poople #188 was GOTH, on Wednesday, February 18, 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 Medium. Hints for it are at the top of this page.
Can I replay Poople #188?
Yes. Press Play this puzzle on this page and the board loads with GOTH 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.