Puzzle #260 · May 1, 2026
Poople #260 Answer: EELS to POOP
Poople #260 was the puzzle for Friday, May 1, 2026. The starting word was EELS, and the shortest ladder to POOP takes 5 steps. We found 1 shortest path 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 #260 hints
Hint 1: Which letter changes first
The first move changes the 1st letter of EELS, the E.
Hint 2: The next word starts with …
The word after EELS starts with C. Halfway down, the ladder passes through a word that starts with C.
Hint 3: Show me the full ladder
EELS → CELS → COLS → COOS → COOP → POOP
5 steps
Step count computed with our word list (ENABLE + SCOWL); the official game uses its own list.
CELS and COLS are in our word list but marked rare, so the official game may not accept them.
| Step | From | To | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | EELS | CELS | 1st letter E to C |
| 2 | CELS | COLS | 2nd letter E to O |
| 3 | COLS | COOS | 3rd letter L to O |
| 4 | COOS | COOP | 4th letter S to P |
| 5 | COOP | POOP | 1st letter C to P |
Play this puzzle
Words one letter away from EELS
These 9 words differ from EELS 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.
- BELS rare
- CELS rare
- DELS rare
- EELY rare
- ELLS rare
- GELS rare
- MELS rare
- SELS rare
- TELS rare
How hard was Poople #260?
By our count it rates Hard: fewest 5 steps. That makes #260 harder than 13% of the 420 puzzles so far.
More Poople puzzles
- Previous: #259 LAMB (Apr 30, 2026)
- Next: #261 SHIN (May 2, 2026)
- Same difficulty: #257 WALK, #258 RING, #259 LAMB
- Every puzzle: Poople archive · Today: today's answer · Random practice: Poople Unlimited
How many steps is Poople #260?
Poople #260 takes 5 steps. We count the fewest steps from EELS 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 #260?
The starting word for Poople #260 was EELS, on Friday, May 1, 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 #260?
Yes. Press Play this puzzle on this page and the board loads with EELS 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.