Puzzle #253 · Apr 24, 2026
Poople #253 Answer: SAYS to POOP
Poople #253 was the puzzle for Friday, April 24, 2026. The starting word was SAYS, 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 #253 hints
Hint 1: Which letter changes first
The first move changes the 1st letter of SAYS, the S.
Hint 2: The next word starts with …
The word after SAYS starts with P. Halfway down, the ladder passes through a word that starts with P.
Hint 3: Show me the full ladder
SAYS → PAYS → PAMS → POMS → POMP → POOP
5 steps
Step count computed with our word list (ENABLE + SCOWL); the official game uses its own list.
PAMS and POMS are in our word list but marked rare, so the official game may not accept them.
| Step | From | To | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | SAYS | PAYS | 1st letter S to P |
| 2 | PAYS | PAMS | 3rd letter Y to M |
| 3 | PAMS | POMS | 2nd letter A to O |
| 4 | POMS | POMP | 4th letter S to P |
| 5 | POMP | POOP | 3rd letter M to O |
Play this puzzle
All shortest paths from SAYS
Our word list allows 5 shortest ladders from SAYS to POOP, each 5 steps. They are folded so they don't give the answer away.
Show all 5 paths
- SAYS → PAYS → PAMS → POMS → POMP → POOP
- SAYS → CAYS → COYS → COOS → COOP → POOP
- SAYS → SOYS → COYS → COOS → COOP → POOP
- SAYS → GAYS → GOYS → GOOS → GOOP → POOP
- SAYS → SOYS → GOYS → GOOS → GOOP → POOP
Words one letter away from SAYS
These 24 words differ from SAYS 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.
- BAYS common
- CAYS rare
- DAYS common
- FAYS rare
- GAYS common
- HAYS common
- JAYS common
- KAYS rare
- LAYS common
- MAYS rare
- NAYS common
- PAYS common
- RAYS common
- SABS rare
- SACS common
- SAGS common
- SALS rare
- SANS rare
- SAPS common
- SASS rare
- SAWS common
- SOYS rare
- WAYS common
- YAYS rare
How hard was Poople #253?
By our count it rates Hard: fewest 5 steps. That makes #253 harder than 13% of the 420 puzzles so far.
More Poople puzzles
- Previous: #252 MUTT (Apr 23, 2026)
- Next: #254 NERD (Apr 25, 2026)
- Same difficulty: #250 RIND, #251 BURR, #252 MUTT
- Every puzzle: Poople archive · Today: today's answer · Random practice: Poople Unlimited
How many steps is Poople #253?
Poople #253 takes 5 steps. We count the fewest steps from SAYS 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 #253?
The starting word for Poople #253 was SAYS, on Friday, April 24, 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 #253?
Yes. Press Play this puzzle on this page and the board loads with SAYS 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.