Puzzle #243 · Apr 14, 2026
Poople #243 Answer: SWAY to POOP
Poople #243 was the puzzle for Tuesday, April 14, 2026. The starting word was SWAY, and the shortest ladder to POOP takes 5 steps. We found 4 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 #243 hints
Hint 1: Which letter changes first
The first move changes the 2nd letter of SWAY, the W.
Hint 2: The next word starts with …
The word after SWAY starts with S. Halfway down, the ladder passes through a word that starts with P.
Hint 3: Show me the full ladder
SWAY → SLAY → PLAY → PLOY → PLOP → POOP
5 steps
Step count computed with our word list (ENABLE + SCOWL); the official game uses its own list.
| Step | From | To | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | SWAY | SLAY | 2nd letter W to L |
| 2 | SLAY | PLAY | 1st letter S to P |
| 3 | PLAY | PLOY | 3rd letter A to O |
| 4 | PLOY | PLOP | 4th letter Y to P |
| 5 | PLOP | POOP | 2nd letter L to O |
Play this puzzle
All shortest paths from SWAY
Our word list allows 4 shortest ladders from SWAY to POOP, each 5 steps. They are folded so they don't give the answer away.
Show all 4 paths
- SWAY → SLAY → PLAY → PLOY → PLOP → POOP
- SWAY → SLAY → SLAP → SLOP → PLOP → POOP
- SWAY → SWAP → SLAP → SLOP → PLOP → POOP
- SWAY → SWAP → SWOP → SLOP → PLOP → POOP
Words one letter away from SWAY
These 11 words differ from SWAY 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.
- AWAY common
- SHAY rare
- SLAY common
- SPAY common
- STAY common
- SWAB common
- SWAG rare
- SWAM common
- SWAN common
- SWAP common
- SWAT common
How hard was Poople #243?
By our count it rates Hard: fewest 5 steps. That makes #243 harder than 13% of the 420 puzzles so far.
More Poople puzzles
- Previous: #242 BUSH (Apr 13, 2026)
- Next: #244 JAVA (Apr 15, 2026)
- Same difficulty: #238 LAME, #239 REAM, #241 GILT
- Every puzzle: Poople archive · Today: today's answer · Random practice: Poople Unlimited
How many steps is Poople #243?
Poople #243 takes 5 steps. We count the fewest steps from SWAY 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 #243?
The starting word for Poople #243 was SWAY, on Tuesday, April 14, 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 #243?
Yes. Press Play this puzzle on this page and the board loads with SWAY 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.