Puzzle #197 · Feb 27, 2026
Poople #197 Answer: OWNS to POOP
Poople #197 was the puzzle for Friday, February 27, 2026. The starting word was OWNS, 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 #197 hints
Hint 1: Which letter changes first
The first move changes the 1st letter of OWNS, the O.
Hint 2: The next word starts with …
The word after OWNS starts with A. Halfway down, the ladder passes through a word that starts with P.
Hint 3: Show me the full ladder
OWNS → AWNS → AINS → PINS → PONS → POND → POOD → POOP
7 steps
Step count computed with our word list (ENABLE + SCOWL); the official game uses its own list.
AWNS and AINS and PONS and POOD are in our word list but marked rare, so the official game may not accept them.
| Step | From | To | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | OWNS | AWNS | 1st letter O to A |
| 2 | AWNS | AINS | 2nd letter W to I |
| 3 | AINS | PINS | 1st letter A to P |
| 4 | PINS | PONS | 2nd letter I to O |
| 5 | PONS | POND | 4th letter S to D |
| 6 | POND | POOD | 3rd letter N to O |
| 7 | POOD | POOP | 4th letter D to P |
Play this puzzle
All shortest paths from OWNS
Our word list allows 2 shortest ladders from OWNS to POOP, each 7 steps. They are folded so they don't give the answer away.
Show all 2 paths
- OWNS → AWNS → AINS → PINS → PONS → POND → POOD → POOP
- OWNS → AWNS → AINS → PINS → PONS → POMS → POMP → POOP
Words one letter away from OWNS
These 3 words differ from OWNS 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.
- AWNS rare
- OWES common
- OWLS common
How hard was Poople #197?
By our count it rates Expert: fewest 7 steps. That makes #197 harder than 93% of the 420 puzzles so far.
More Poople puzzles
- Previous: #196 WEST (Feb 26, 2026)
- Next: #198 ARMS (Feb 28, 2026)
- Same difficulty: #177 ETCH, #187 ANEW, #189 ARMY
- Every puzzle: Poople archive · Today: today's answer · Random practice: Poople Unlimited
How many steps is Poople #197?
Poople #197 takes 7 steps. We count the fewest steps from OWNS 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 #197?
The starting word for Poople #197 was OWNS, on Friday, February 27, 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 #197?
Yes. Press Play this puzzle on this page and the board loads with OWNS 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.