Puzzle #203 · Mar 5, 2026
Poople #203 Answer: SAWS to POOP
Poople #203 was the puzzle for Thursday, March 5, 2026. The starting word was SAWS, and the shortest ladder to POOP takes 5 steps. We found 9 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 #203 hints
Hint 1: Which letter changes first
The first move changes the 1st letter of SAWS, the S.
Hint 2: The next word starts with …
The word after SAWS starts with C. Halfway down, the ladder passes through a word that starts with C.
Hint 3: Show me the full ladder
SAWS → CAWS → COWS → COOS → COOP → POOP
5 steps
Step count computed with our word list (ENABLE + SCOWL); the official game uses its own list.
| Step | From | To | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | SAWS | CAWS | 1st letter S to C |
| 2 | CAWS | COWS | 2nd letter A to O |
| 3 | COWS | COOS | 3rd letter W to O |
| 4 | COOS | COOP | 4th letter S to P |
| 5 | COOP | POOP | 1st letter C to P |
Play this puzzle
All shortest paths from SAWS
Our word list allows 9 shortest ladders from SAWS to POOP, each 5 steps. They are folded so they don't give the answer away.
Show all 9 paths
- SAWS → CAWS → COWS → COOS → COOP → POOP
- SAWS → SOWS → COWS → COOS → COOP → POOP
- SAWS → LAWS → LOWS → LOOS → LOOP → POOP
- SAWS → SOWS → LOWS → LOOS → LOOP → POOP
- SAWS → SOWS → SOWN → SOON → POON → POOP
- SAWS → PAWS → PAMS → POMS → POMP → POOP
- SAWS → PAWS → POWS → POMS → POMP → POOP
- SAWS → SOWS → POWS → POMS → POMP → POOP
- SAWS → SAWN → SOWN → SOON → POON → POOP
Words one letter away from SAWS
These 23 words differ from SAWS 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.
- CAWS common
- DAWS rare
- HAWS rare
- JAWS common
- LAWS common
- MAWS rare
- PAWS common
- RAWS rare
- SABS rare
- SACS common
- SAGS common
- SALS rare
- SANS rare
- SAPS common
- SASS rare
- SAWN rare
- SAYS common
- SEWS common
- SOWS common
- TAWS rare
- VAWS rare
- WAWS rare
- YAWS rare
How hard was Poople #203?
By our count it rates Hard: fewest 5 steps. That makes #203 harder than 13% of the 420 puzzles so far.
More Poople puzzles
- Previous: #202 JARS (Mar 4, 2026)
- Next: #204 LAKE (Mar 6, 2026)
- Same difficulty: #199 ROVE, #200 DUKE, #202 JARS
- Every puzzle: Poople archive · Today: today's answer · Random practice: Poople Unlimited
How many steps is Poople #203?
Poople #203 takes 5 steps. We count the fewest steps from SAWS 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 #203?
The starting word for Poople #203 was SAWS, on Thursday, March 5, 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 #203?
Yes. Press Play this puzzle on this page and the board loads with SAWS 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.