Puzzle #216 · Mar 18, 2026
Poople #216 Answer: TIES to POOP
Poople #216 was the puzzle for Wednesday, March 18, 2026. The starting word was TIES, and the shortest ladder to POOP takes 5 steps. We found 3 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 #216 hints
Hint 1: Which letter changes first
The first move changes the 2nd letter of TIES, the I.
Hint 2: The next word starts with …
The word after TIES starts with T. Halfway down, the ladder passes through a word that starts with G.
Hint 3: Show me the full ladder
TIES → TOES → GOES → GOOS → GOOP → POOP
5 steps
Step count computed with our word list (ENABLE + SCOWL); the official game uses its own list.
GOOS and GOOP are in our word list but marked rare, so the official game may not accept them.
| Step | From | To | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | TIES | TOES | 2nd letter I to O |
| 2 | TOES | GOES | 1st letter T to G |
| 3 | GOES | GOOS | 3rd letter E to O |
| 4 | GOOS | GOOP | 4th letter S to P |
| 5 | GOOP | POOP | 1st letter G to P |
Play this puzzle
All shortest paths from TIES
Our word list allows 3 shortest ladders from TIES to POOP, each 5 steps. They are folded so they don't give the answer away.
Show all 3 paths
- TIES → TOES → GOES → GOOS → GOOP → POOP
- TIES → TOES → TOMS → POMS → POMP → POOP
- TIES → GIES → GOES → GOOS → GOOP → POOP
Words one letter away from TIES
These 16 words differ from TIES 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.
- DIES common
- GIES rare
- HIES rare
- LIES common
- PIES common
- TEES common
- TICS rare
- TIED common
- TIER common
- TILS rare
- TINS common
- TIPS common
- TITS common
- TOES common
- TYES rare
- VIES common
How hard was Poople #216?
By our count it rates Hard: fewest 5 steps. That makes #216 harder than 13% of the 420 puzzles so far.
More Poople puzzles
- Previous: #215 SWAB (Mar 17, 2026)
- Next: #217 CAGE (Mar 19, 2026)
- Same difficulty: #213 FUEL, #214 TICK, #215 SWAB
- Every puzzle: Poople archive · Today: today's answer · Random practice: Poople Unlimited
How many steps is Poople #216?
Poople #216 takes 5 steps. We count the fewest steps from TIES 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 #216?
The starting word for Poople #216 was TIES, on Wednesday, March 18, 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 #216?
Yes. Press Play this puzzle on this page and the board loads with TIES 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.