Puzzle #268 · May 9, 2026
Poople #268 Answer: WAND to POOP
Poople #268 was the puzzle for Saturday, May 9, 2026. The starting word was WAND, and the shortest ladder to POOP takes 5 steps. We found 3 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 #268 hints
Hint 1: Which letter changes first
The first move changes the 1st letter of WAND, the W.
Hint 2: The next word starts with …
The word after WAND starts with B. Halfway down, the ladder passes through a word that starts with P.
Hint 3: Show me the full ladder
WAND → BAND → BOND → POND → POOD → POOP
5 steps
Step count computed with our word list (ENABLE + SCOWL); the official game uses its own list.
POOD is in our word list but marked rare, so the official game may not accept it.
| Step | From | To | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | WAND | BAND | 1st letter W to B |
| 2 | BAND | BOND | 2nd letter A to O |
| 3 | BOND | POND | 1st letter B to P |
| 4 | POND | POOD | 3rd letter N to O |
| 5 | POOD | POOP | 4th letter D to P |
Play this puzzle
All shortest paths from WAND
Our word list allows 3 shortest ladders from WAND to POOP, each 5 steps. They are folded so they don't give the answer away.
Show all 3 paths
- WAND → BAND → BOND → POND → POOD → POOP
- WAND → WARD → WORD → WOOD → POOD → POOP
- WAND → WEND → PEND → POND → POOD → POOP
Words one letter away from WAND
These 13 words differ from WAND 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.
- BAND common
- HAND common
- LAND common
- RAND rare
- SAND common
- WANE common
- WANS rare
- WANT common
- WANY rare
- WARD common
- WEND rare
- WIND common
- WYND rare
How hard was Poople #268?
By our count it rates Hard: fewest 5 steps. That makes #268 harder than 13% of the 420 puzzles so far.
More Poople puzzles
- Previous: #267 PITA (May 8, 2026)
- Next: #269 SNUG (May 10, 2026)
- Same difficulty: #263 TIED, #265 DULY, #266 MUSK
- Every puzzle: Poople archive · Today: today's answer · Random practice: Poople Unlimited
How many steps is Poople #268?
Poople #268 takes 5 steps. We count the fewest steps from WAND 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 #268?
The starting word for Poople #268 was WAND, on Saturday, May 9, 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 #268?
Yes. Press Play this puzzle on this page and the board loads with WAND 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.