Puzzle #287 · May 28, 2026
Poople #287 Answer: ACTS to POOP
Poople #287 was the puzzle for Thursday, May 28, 2026. The starting word was ACTS, and the shortest ladder to POOP takes 6 steps. We found 2 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 #287 hints
Hint 1: Which letter changes first
The first move changes the 2nd letter of ACTS, the C.
Hint 2: The next word starts with …
The word after ACTS starts with A. Halfway down, the ladder passes through a word that starts with P.
Hint 3: Show me the full ladder
ACTS → AITS → PITS → POTS → POMS → POMP → POOP
6 steps
Step count computed with our word list (ENABLE + SCOWL); the official game uses its own list.
AITS and POMS are in our word list but marked rare, so the official game may not accept them.
| Step | From | To | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ACTS | AITS | 2nd letter C to I |
| 2 | AITS | PITS | 1st letter A to P |
| 3 | PITS | POTS | 2nd letter I to O |
| 4 | POTS | POMS | 3rd letter T to M |
| 5 | POMS | POMP | 4th letter S to P |
| 6 | POMP | POOP | 3rd letter M to O |
Play this puzzle
All shortest paths from ACTS
Our word list allows 2 shortest ladders from ACTS to POOP, each 6 steps. They are folded so they don't give the answer away.
Show all 2 paths
- ACTS → AITS → PITS → POTS → POMS → POMP → POOP
- ACTS → AITS → LITS → LOTS → LOOS → LOOP → POOP
Words one letter away from ACTS
These 6 words differ from ACTS 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.
- ACES common
- ACTA rare
- AITS rare
- ALTS rare
- ANTS common
- ARTS common
How hard was Poople #287?
By our count it rates Expert: fewest 6 steps. That makes #287 harder than 74% of the 420 puzzles so far.
More Poople puzzles
- Previous: #286 CAKE (May 27, 2026)
- Next: #288 DUNE (May 29, 2026)
- Same difficulty: #274 WANT, #276 REEF, #279 VIBE
- Every puzzle: Poople archive · Today: today's answer · Random practice: Poople Unlimited
How many steps is Poople #287?
Poople #287 takes 6 steps. We count the fewest steps from ACTS 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 #287?
The starting word for Poople #287 was ACTS, on Thursday, May 28, 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 Expert. Hints for it are at the top of this page.
Can I replay Poople #287?
Yes. Press Play this puzzle on this page and the board loads with ACTS 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.