Puzzle #271 · May 12, 2026
Poople #271 Answer: BUTT to POOP
Poople #271 was the puzzle for Tuesday, May 12, 2026. The starting word was BUTT, 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 #271 hints
Hint 1: Which letter changes first
The first move changes the 2nd letter of BUTT, the U.
Hint 2: The next word starts with …
The word after BUTT starts with B. Halfway down, the ladder passes through a word that starts with B.
Hint 3: Show me the full ladder
BUTT → BOTT → BOOT → BOOR → POOR → POOP
5 steps
Step count computed with our word list (ENABLE + SCOWL); the official game uses its own list.
BOTT is in our word list but marked rare, so the official game may not accept it.
| Step | From | To | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | BUTT | BOTT | 2nd letter U to O |
| 2 | BOTT | BOOT | 3rd letter T to O |
| 3 | BOOT | BOOR | 4th letter T to R |
| 4 | BOOR | POOR | 1st letter B to P |
| 5 | POOR | POOP | 4th letter R to P |
Play this puzzle
All shortest paths from BUTT
Our word list allows 5 shortest ladders from BUTT to POOP, each 5 steps. They are folded so they don't give the answer away.
Show all 5 paths
- BUTT → BOTT → BOOT → BOOR → POOR → POOP
- BUTT → BOTT → BOOT → HOOT → HOOP → POOP
- BUTT → BOTT → BOOT → LOOT → LOOP → POOP
- BUTT → BOTT → BOOT → BOON → POON → POOP
- BUTT → BOTT → BOOT → COOT → COOP → POOP
Words one letter away from BUTT
These 9 words differ from BUTT 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.
- BATT rare
- BITT rare
- BOTT rare
- BUNT rare
- BUST common
- BUTE rare
- BUTS rare
- MUTT common
- PUTT common
How hard was Poople #271?
By our count it rates Hard: fewest 5 steps. That makes #271 harder than 13% of the 420 puzzles so far.
More Poople puzzles
- Previous: #270 DUNG (May 11, 2026)
- Next: #272 MUST (May 13, 2026)
- Same difficulty: #268 WAND, #269 SNUG, #270 DUNG
- Every puzzle: Poople archive · Today: today's answer · Random practice: Poople Unlimited
How many steps is Poople #271?
Poople #271 takes 5 steps. We count the fewest steps from BUTT 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 #271?
The starting word for Poople #271 was BUTT, on Tuesday, May 12, 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 #271?
Yes. Press Play this puzzle on this page and the board loads with BUTT 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.