Puzzle #202 · Mar 4, 2026
Poople #202 Answer: JARS to POOP
Poople #202 was the puzzle for Wednesday, March 4, 2026. The starting word was JARS, and the shortest ladder to POOP takes 5 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 #202 hints
Hint 1: Which letter changes first
The first move changes the 3rd letter of JARS, the R.
Hint 2: The next word starts with …
The word after JARS starts with J. Halfway down, the ladder passes through a word that starts with P.
Hint 3: Show me the full ladder
JARS → JAMS → PAMS → POMS → POMP → POOP
5 steps
Step count computed with our word list (ENABLE + SCOWL); the official game uses its own list.
PAMS and POMS are in our word list but marked rare, so the official game may not accept them.
| Step | From | To | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | JARS | JAMS | 3rd letter R to M |
| 2 | JAMS | PAMS | 1st letter J to P |
| 3 | PAMS | POMS | 2nd letter A to O |
| 4 | POMS | POMP | 4th letter S to P |
| 5 | POMP | POOP | 3rd letter M to O |
Play this puzzle
All shortest paths from JARS
Our word list allows 2 shortest ladders from JARS to POOP, each 5 steps. They are folded so they don't give the answer away.
Show all 2 paths
- JARS → JAMS → PAMS → POMS → POMP → POOP
- JARS → PARS → PAMS → POMS → POMP → POOP
Words one letter away from JARS
These 17 words differ from JARS 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.
- BARS common
- CARS common
- EARS common
- GARS rare
- JABS common
- JAGS rare
- JAMS common
- JARL rare
- JAWS common
- JAYS common
- LARS rare
- MARS common
- OARS common
- PARS common
- TARS common
- VARS rare
- WARS common
How hard was Poople #202?
By our count it rates Hard: fewest 5 steps. That makes #202 harder than 13% of the 420 puzzles so far.
More Poople puzzles
- Previous: #201 PONG (Mar 3, 2026)
- Next: #203 SAWS (Mar 5, 2026)
- Same difficulty: #196 WEST, #199 ROVE, #200 DUKE
- Every puzzle: Poople archive · Today: today's answer · Random practice: Poople Unlimited
How many steps is Poople #202?
Poople #202 takes 5 steps. We count the fewest steps from JARS 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 #202?
The starting word for Poople #202 was JARS, on Wednesday, March 4, 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 #202?
Yes. Press Play this puzzle on this page and the board loads with JARS 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.