Puzzle #290 · May 31, 2026
Poople #290 Answer: DUNK to POOP
Poople #290 was the puzzle for Sunday, May 31, 2026. The starting word was DUNK, and the shortest ladder to POOP takes 5 steps. We found 1 shortest path 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 #290 hints
Hint 1: Which letter changes first
The first move changes the 1st letter of DUNK, the D.
Hint 2: The next word starts with …
The word after DUNK starts with H. Halfway down, the ladder passes through a word that starts with H.
Hint 3: Show me the full ladder
DUNK → HUNK → HONK → HOOK → HOOP → POOP
5 steps
Step count computed with our word list (ENABLE + SCOWL); the official game uses its own list.
| Step | From | To | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | DUNK | HUNK | 1st letter D to H |
| 2 | HUNK | HONK | 2nd letter U to O |
| 3 | HONK | HOOK | 3rd letter N to O |
| 4 | HOOK | HOOP | 4th letter K to P |
| 5 | HOOP | POOP | 1st letter H to P |
Play this puzzle
Words one letter away from DUNK
These 16 words differ from DUNK 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.
- BUNK common
- DANK common
- DINK rare
- DUCK common
- DUNE common
- DUNG common
- DUNS rare
- DUNT rare
- DUSK common
- FUNK rare
- GUNK rare
- HUNK common
- JUNK common
- LUNK rare
- PUNK common
- SUNK common
How hard was Poople #290?
By our count it rates Hard: fewest 5 steps. That makes #290 harder than 13% of the 420 puzzles so far.
More Poople puzzles
- Previous: #289 GRAY (May 30, 2026)
- Next: #291 LARD (Jun 1, 2026)
- Same difficulty: #286 CAKE, #288 DUNE, #289 GRAY
- Every puzzle: Poople archive · Today: today's answer · Random practice: Poople Unlimited
How many steps is Poople #290?
Poople #290 takes 5 steps. We count the fewest steps from DUNK 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 #290?
The starting word for Poople #290 was DUNK, on Sunday, May 31, 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 #290?
Yes. Press Play this puzzle on this page and the board loads with DUNK 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.