Puzzle #221 · Mar 23, 2026
Poople #221 Answer: WERE to POOP
Poople #221 was the puzzle for Monday, March 23, 2026. The starting word was WERE, 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 #221 hints
Hint 1: Which letter changes first
The first move changes the 2nd letter of WERE, the E.
Hint 2: The next word starts with …
The word after WERE starts with W. Halfway down, the ladder passes through a word that starts with P.
Hint 3: Show me the full ladder
WERE → WORE → PORE → 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 | WERE | WORE | 2nd letter E to O |
| 2 | WORE | PORE | 1st letter W to P |
| 3 | PORE | POME | 3rd letter R to M |
| 4 | POME | POMP | 4th letter E to P |
| 5 | POMP | POOP | 3rd letter M to O |
Play this puzzle
All shortest paths from WERE
Our word list allows 5 shortest ladders from WERE to POOP, each 5 steps. They are folded so they don't give the answer away.
Show all 5 paths
- WERE → WORE → PORE → POME → POMP → POOP
- WERE → WORE → WORD → WOOD → POOD → POOP
- WERE → WORE → GORE → GORP → GOOP → POOP
- WERE → WORE → PORE → PORN → POON → POOP
- WERE → WORE → WORN → PORN → POON → POOP
Words one letter away from WERE
These 10 words differ from WERE 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.
- CERE rare
- DERE rare
- FERE rare
- HERE common
- MERE common
- SERE rare
- WARE rare
- WERT rare
- WIRE common
- WORE common
How hard was Poople #221?
By our count it rates Hard: fewest 5 steps. That makes #221 harder than 13% of the 420 puzzles so far.
More Poople puzzles
- Previous: #220 LAND (Mar 22, 2026)
- Next: #222 TIER (Mar 24, 2026)
- Same difficulty: #218 HAZE, #219 YELL, #220 LAND
- Every puzzle: Poople archive · Today: today's answer · Random practice: Poople Unlimited
How many steps is Poople #221?
Poople #221 takes 5 steps. We count the fewest steps from WERE 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 #221?
The starting word for Poople #221 was WERE, on Monday, March 23, 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 #221?
Yes. Press Play this puzzle on this page and the board loads with WERE 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.