Puzzle #281 · May 22, 2026
Poople #281 Answer: SHIM to POOP
Poople #281 was the puzzle for Friday, May 22, 2026. The starting word was SHIM, 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 #281 hints
Hint 1: Which letter changes first
The first move changes the 4th letter of SHIM, the M.
Hint 2: The next word starts with …
The word after SHIM starts with S. Halfway down, the ladder passes through a word that starts with C.
Hint 3: Show me the full ladder
SHIM → SHIP → 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 | SHIM | SHIP | 4th letter M to P |
| 2 | SHIP | CHIP | 1st letter S to C |
| 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 SHIM
Our word list allows 5 shortest ladders from SHIM to POOP, each 5 steps. They are folded so they don't give the answer away.
Show all 5 paths
- SHIM → SHIP → CHIP → CHOP → COOP → POOP
- SHIM → SHIP → SHOP → CHOP → COOP → POOP
- SHIM → SHIP → SHOP → SLOP → PLOP → POOP
- SHIM → SHIP → SLIP → SLOP → PLOP → POOP
- SHIM → SLIM → SLIP → SLOP → PLOP → POOP
Words one letter away from SHIM
These 9 words differ from SHIM 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.
- SHAM common
- SHIN common
- SHIP common
- SHIT rare
- SHIV rare
- SKIM common
- SLIM common
- SWIM common
- WHIM common
How hard was Poople #281?
By our count it rates Hard: fewest 5 steps. That makes #281 harder than 13% of the 420 puzzles so far.
More Poople puzzles
- Previous: #280 PISS (May 21, 2026)
- Next: #282 GEEZ (May 23, 2026)
- Same difficulty: #273 PITY, #277 GEEK, #278 PACK
- Every puzzle: Poople archive · Today: today's answer · Random practice: Poople Unlimited
How many steps is Poople #281?
Poople #281 takes 5 steps. We count the fewest steps from SHIM 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 #281?
The starting word for Poople #281 was SHIM, on Friday, May 22, 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 #281?
Yes. Press Play this puzzle on this page and the board loads with SHIM 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.