Puzzle #209 · Mar 11, 2026
Poople #209 Answer: TIDE to POOP
Poople #209 was the puzzle for Wednesday, March 11, 2026. The starting word was TIDE, and the shortest ladder to POOP takes 5 steps. We found 1 shortest path 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 #209 hints
Hint 1: Which letter changes first
The first move changes the 3rd letter of TIDE, the D.
Hint 2: The next word starts with …
The word after TIDE starts with T. Halfway down, the ladder passes through a word that starts with P.
Hint 3: Show me the full ladder
TIDE → TIME → TOME → POME → POMP → POOP
5 steps
Step count computed with our word list (ENABLE + SCOWL); the official game uses its own list.
POME is in our word list but marked rare, so the official game may not accept it.
| Step | From | To | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | TIDE | TIME | 3rd letter D to M |
| 2 | TIME | TOME | 2nd letter I to O |
| 3 | TOME | POME | 1st letter T to P |
| 4 | POME | POMP | 4th letter E to P |
| 5 | POMP | POOP | 3rd letter M to O |
Play this puzzle
Words one letter away from TIDE
These 15 words differ from TIDE 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.
- AIDE common
- BIDE common
- EIDE rare
- HIDE common
- NIDE rare
- RIDE common
- SIDE common
- TIDY common
- TIKE rare
- TILE common
- TIME common
- TINE rare
- TIRE common
- VIDE rare
- WIDE common
How hard was Poople #209?
By our count it rates Hard: fewest 5 steps. That makes #209 harder than 13% of the 420 puzzles so far.
More Poople puzzles
- Previous: #208 CENT (Mar 10, 2026)
- Next: #210 REAL (Mar 12, 2026)
- Same difficulty: #205 WAKE, #207 SPUN, #208 CENT
- Every puzzle: Poople archive · Today: today's answer · Random practice: Poople Unlimited
How many steps is Poople #209?
Poople #209 takes 5 steps. We count the fewest steps from TIDE 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 #209?
The starting word for Poople #209 was TIDE, on Wednesday, March 11, 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 #209?
Yes. Press Play this puzzle on this page and the board loads with TIDE 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.