Puzzle #261 · May 2, 2026
Poople #261 Answer: SHIN to POOP
Poople #261 was the puzzle for Saturday, May 2, 2026. The starting word was SHIN, and the shortest ladder to POOP takes 5 steps. We found 11 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 #261 hints
Hint 1: Which letter changes first
The first move changes the 1st letter of SHIN, the S.
Hint 2: The next word starts with …
The word after SHIN starts with C. Halfway down, the ladder passes through a word that starts with C.
Hint 3: Show me the full ladder
SHIN → CHIN → CHIP → CHOP → COOP → POOP
5 steps
Step count computed with our word list (ENABLE + SCOWL); the official game uses its own list.
| Step | From | To | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | SHIN | CHIN | 1st letter S to C |
| 2 | CHIN | CHIP | 4th letter N to P |
| 3 | CHIP | CHOP | 3rd letter I to O |
| 4 | CHOP | COOP | 2nd letter H to O |
| 5 | COOP | POOP | 1st letter C to P |
Play this puzzle
All shortest paths from SHIN
Our word list allows 11 shortest ladders from SHIN to POOP, each 5 steps. They are folded so they don't give the answer away.
Show all 11 paths
- SHIN → CHIN → CHIP → CHOP → COOP → POOP
- SHIN → SHIP → CHIP → CHOP → COOP → POOP
- SHIN → SHIP → SHOP → CHOP → COOP → POOP
- SHIN → SHIP → SHOP → SLOP → PLOP → POOP
- SHIN → SHIP → SLIP → SLOP → PLOP → POOP
- SHIN → CHIN → COIN → COON → COOP → POOP
- SHIN → CHIN → CHON → CHOP → COOP → POOP
- SHIN → CHIN → COIN → COON → POON → POOP
- SHIN → CHIN → CHON → COON → COOP → POOP
- SHIN → CHIN → CHON → COON → POON → POOP
- SHIN → CHIN → CHON → PHON → POON → POOP
Words one letter away from SHIN
These 11 words differ from SHIN 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.
- CHIN common
- SAIN rare
- SHIM rare
- SHIP common
- SHIT rare
- SHIV rare
- SHUN common
- SKIN common
- SPIN common
- THIN common
- WHIN rare
How hard was Poople #261?
By our count it rates Hard: fewest 5 steps. That makes #261 harder than 13% of the 420 puzzles so far.
More Poople puzzles
- Previous: #260 EELS (May 1, 2026)
- Next: #262 EACH (May 3, 2026)
- Same difficulty: #258 RING, #259 LAMB, #260 EELS
- Every puzzle: Poople archive · Today: today's answer · Random practice: Poople Unlimited
How many steps is Poople #261?
Poople #261 takes 5 steps. We count the fewest steps from SHIN 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 #261?
The starting word for Poople #261 was SHIN, on Saturday, May 2, 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 #261?
Yes. Press Play this puzzle on this page and the board loads with SHIN 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.