Puzzle #196 · Feb 26, 2026
Poople #196 Answer: WEST to POOP
Poople #196 was the puzzle for Thursday, February 26, 2026. The starting word was WEST, 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 #196 hints
Hint 1: Which letter changes first
The first move changes the 1st letter of WEST, the W.
Hint 2: The next word starts with …
The word after WEST starts with L. Halfway down, the ladder passes through a word that starts with L.
Hint 3: Show me the full ladder
WEST → LEST → LOST → LOOT → LOOP → POOP
5 steps
Step count computed with our word list (ENABLE + SCOWL); the official game uses its own list.
| Step | From | To | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | WEST | LEST | 1st letter W to L |
| 2 | LEST | LOST | 2nd letter E to O |
| 3 | LOST | LOOT | 3rd letter S to O |
| 4 | LOOT | LOOP | 4th letter T to P |
| 5 | LOOP | POOP | 1st letter L to P |
Play this puzzle
All shortest paths from WEST
Our word list allows 7 shortest ladders from WEST to POOP, each 5 steps. They are folded so they don't give the answer away.
Show all 7 paths
- WEST → LEST → LOST → LOOT → LOOP → POOP
- WEST → HEST → HOST → HOOT → HOOP → POOP
- WEST → WOST → HOST → HOOT → HOOP → POOP
- WEST → WOST → LOST → LOOT → LOOP → POOP
- WEST → PEST → POST → POSH → POOH → POOP
- WEST → WOST → COST → COOT → COOP → POOP
- WEST → WOST → POST → POSH → POOH → POOP
Words one letter away from WEST
These 20 words differ from WEST 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.
- BEST common
- GEST rare
- HEST rare
- JEST common
- LEST common
- NEST common
- PEST common
- REST common
- TEST common
- VEST common
- WAST rare
- WEET rare
- WEFT rare
- WELT common
- WENT common
- WEPT common
- WERT rare
- WIST rare
- WOST rare
- ZEST common
How hard was Poople #196?
By our count it rates Hard: fewest 5 steps. That makes #196 harder than 13% of the 420 puzzles so far.
More Poople puzzles
- Previous: #195 MODE (Feb 25, 2026)
- Next: #197 OWNS (Feb 27, 2026)
- Same difficulty: #192 REAR, #193 REAP, #194 PEGS
- Every puzzle: Poople archive · Today: today's answer · Random practice: Poople Unlimited
How many steps is Poople #196?
Poople #196 takes 5 steps. We count the fewest steps from WEST 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 #196?
The starting word for Poople #196 was WEST, on Thursday, February 26, 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 #196?
Yes. Press Play this puzzle on this page and the board loads with WEST 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.