Puzzle #190 · Feb 20, 2026
Poople #190 Answer: CAFE to POOP
Poople #190 was the puzzle for Friday, February 20, 2026. The starting word was CAFE, and the shortest ladder to POOP takes 5 steps. We found 7 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 #190 hints
Hint 1: Which letter changes first
The first move changes the 3rd letter of CAFE, the F.
Hint 2: The next word starts with …
The word after CAFE starts with C. Halfway down, the ladder passes through a word that starts with C.
Hint 3: Show me the full ladder
CAFE → CAME → CAMP → COMP → COOP → POOP
5 steps
Step count computed with our word list (ENABLE + SCOWL); the official game uses its own list.
COMP is in our word list but marked rare, so the official game may not accept it.
| Step | From | To | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CAFE | CAME | 3rd letter F to M |
| 2 | CAME | CAMP | 4th letter E to P |
| 3 | CAMP | COMP | 2nd letter A to O |
| 4 | COMP | COOP | 3rd letter M to O |
| 5 | COOP | POOP | 1st letter C to P |
Play this puzzle
All shortest paths from CAFE
Our word list allows 7 shortest ladders from CAFE to POOP, each 5 steps. They are folded so they don't give the answer away.
Show all 7 paths
- CAFE → CAME → CAMP → COMP → COOP → POOP
- CAFE → CAME → CAMP → COMP → POMP → POOP
- CAFE → CAME → COME → COMP → COOP → POOP
- CAFE → CAME → COME → COMP → POMP → POOP
- CAFE → CAME → COME → POME → POMP → POOP
- CAFE → CAFF → COFF → COOF → COOP → POOP
- CAFE → CAFF → COFF → COOF → POOF → POOP
Words one letter away from CAFE
These 12 words differ from CAFE 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.
- CADE rare
- CAFF rare
- CAGE common
- CAKE common
- CAME common
- CANE common
- CAPE common
- CARE common
- CASE common
- CATE rare
- CAVE common
- SAFE common
How hard was Poople #190?
By our count it rates Hard: fewest 5 steps. That makes #190 harder than 13% of the 420 puzzles so far.
More Poople puzzles
- Previous: #189 ARMY (Feb 19, 2026)
- Next: #191 ALAS (Feb 21, 2026)
- Same difficulty: #182 LAID, #183 CELL, #186 LAIR
- Every puzzle: Poople archive · Today: today's answer · Random practice: Poople Unlimited
How many steps is Poople #190?
Poople #190 takes 5 steps. We count the fewest steps from CAFE 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 #190?
The starting word for Poople #190 was CAFE, on Friday, February 20, 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 #190?
Yes. Press Play this puzzle on this page and the board loads with CAFE 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.