Puzzle #236 · Apr 7, 2026
Poople #236 Answer: BUSY to POOP
Poople #236 was the puzzle for Tuesday, April 7, 2026. The starting word was BUSY, and the shortest ladder to POOP takes 5 steps. We found 2 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 #236 hints
Hint 1: Which letter changes first
The first move changes the 4th letter of BUSY, the Y.
Hint 2: The next word starts with …
The word after BUSY starts with B. Halfway down, the ladder passes through a word that starts with P.
Hint 3: Show me the full ladder
BUSY → BUSH → PUSH → POSH → POOH → POOP
5 steps
Step count computed with our word list (ENABLE + SCOWL); the official game uses its own list.
POSH and POOH are in our word list but marked rare, so the official game may not accept them.
| Step | From | To | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | BUSY | BUSH | 4th letter Y to H |
| 2 | BUSH | PUSH | 1st letter B to P |
| 3 | PUSH | POSH | 2nd letter U to O |
| 4 | POSH | POOH | 3rd letter S to O |
| 5 | POOH | POOP | 4th letter H to P |
Play this puzzle
All shortest paths from BUSY
Our word list allows 2 shortest ladders from BUSY to POOP, each 5 steps. They are folded so they don't give the answer away.
Show all 2 paths
- BUSY → BUSH → PUSH → POSH → POOH → POOP
- BUSY → BUSH → BOSH → POSH → POOH → POOP
Words one letter away from BUSY
These 6 words differ from BUSY 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.
- BUOY common
- BURY common
- BUSH common
- BUSK rare
- BUSS rare
- BUST common
How hard was Poople #236?
By our count it rates Hard: fewest 5 steps. That makes #236 harder than 13% of the 420 puzzles so far.
More Poople puzzles
- Previous: #235 BUST (Apr 6, 2026)
- Next: #237 SWAM (Apr 8, 2026)
- Same difficulty: #233 SWAN, #234 BURL, #235 BUST
- Every puzzle: Poople archive · Today: today's answer · Random practice: Poople Unlimited
How many steps is Poople #236?
Poople #236 takes 5 steps. We count the fewest steps from BUSY 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 #236?
The starting word for Poople #236 was BUSY, on Tuesday, April 7, 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 #236?
Yes. Press Play this puzzle on this page and the board loads with BUSY 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.