Puzzle #217 · Mar 19, 2026
Poople #217 Answer: CAGE to POOP
Poople #217 was the puzzle for Thursday, March 19, 2026. The starting word was CAGE, and the shortest ladder to POOP takes 5 steps. We found 5 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 #217 hints
Hint 1: Which letter changes first
The first move changes the 3rd letter of CAGE, the G.
Hint 2: The next word starts with …
The word after CAGE starts with C. Halfway down, the ladder passes through a word that starts with C.
Hint 3: Show me the full ladder
CAGE → CAME → CAMP → COMP → COOP → POOP
5 steps
Step count computed with our word list (ENABLE + SCOWL); the official game uses its own list.
COMP is in our word list but marked rare, so the official game may not accept it.
| Step | From | To | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CAGE | CAME | 3rd letter G to M |
| 2 | CAME | CAMP | 4th letter E to P |
| 3 | CAMP | COMP | 2nd letter A to O |
| 4 | COMP | COOP | 3rd letter M to O |
| 5 | COOP | POOP | 1st letter C to P |
Play this puzzle
All shortest paths from CAGE
Our word list allows 5 shortest ladders from CAGE to POOP, each 5 steps. They are folded so they don't give the answer away.
Show all 5 paths
- CAGE → CAME → CAMP → COMP → COOP → POOP
- CAGE → CAME → CAMP → COMP → POMP → POOP
- CAGE → CAME → COME → COMP → COOP → POOP
- CAGE → CAME → COME → COMP → POMP → POOP
- CAGE → CAME → COME → POME → POMP → POOP
Words one letter away from CAGE
These 17 words differ from CAGE 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.
- CADE rare
- CAFE common
- CAGY rare
- CAKE common
- CAME common
- CANE common
- CAPE common
- CARE common
- CASE common
- CATE rare
- CAVE common
- GAGE rare
- MAGE rare
- PAGE common
- RAGE common
- SAGE common
- WAGE common
How hard was Poople #217?
By our count it rates Hard: fewest 5 steps. That makes #217 harder than 13% of the 420 puzzles so far.
More Poople puzzles
- Previous: #216 TIES (Mar 18, 2026)
- Next: #218 HAZE (Mar 20, 2026)
- Same difficulty: #214 TICK, #215 SWAB, #216 TIES
- Every puzzle: Poople archive · Today: today's answer · Random practice: Poople Unlimited
How many steps is Poople #217?
Poople #217 takes 5 steps. We count the fewest steps from CAGE 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 #217?
The starting word for Poople #217 was CAGE, on Thursday, March 19, 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 #217?
Yes. Press Play this puzzle on this page and the board loads with CAGE 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.