Puzzle #294 · Jun 4, 2026
Poople #294 Answer: NAIL to POOP
Poople #294 was the puzzle for Thursday, June 4, 2026. The starting word was NAIL, and the shortest ladder to POOP takes 5 steps. We found 9 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 #294 hints
Hint 1: Which letter changes first
The first move changes the 1st letter of NAIL, the N.
Hint 2: The next word starts with …
The word after NAIL starts with F. Halfway down, the ladder passes through a word that starts with F.
Hint 3: Show me the full ladder
NAIL → FAIL → FOIL → FOOL → POOL → POOP
5 steps
Step count computed with our word list (ENABLE + SCOWL); the official game uses its own list.
| Step | From | To | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | NAIL | FAIL | 1st letter N to F |
| 2 | FAIL | FOIL | 2nd letter A to O |
| 3 | FOIL | FOOL | 3rd letter I to O |
| 4 | FOOL | POOL | 1st letter F to P |
| 5 | POOL | POOP | 4th letter L to P |
Play this puzzle
All shortest paths from NAIL
Our word list allows 9 shortest ladders from NAIL to POOP, each 5 steps. They are folded so they don't give the answer away.
Show all 9 paths
- NAIL → FAIL → FOIL → FOOL → POOL → POOP
- NAIL → PAIL → PALL → POLL → POOL → POOP
- NAIL → TAIL → TOIL → TOOL → POOL → POOP
- NAIL → NOIL → COIL → COOL → COOP → POOP
- NAIL → NOIL → COIL → COOL → POOL → POOP
- NAIL → NOIL → FOIL → FOOL → POOL → POOP
- NAIL → NOIL → TOIL → TOOL → POOL → POOP
- NAIL → MAIL → MOIL → MOOL → POOL → POOP
- NAIL → NOIL → MOIL → MOOL → POOL → POOP
Words one letter away from NAIL
These 14 words differ from NAIL 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.
- BAIL common
- FAIL common
- HAIL common
- JAIL common
- KAIL rare
- MAIL common
- NAIF rare
- NOIL rare
- PAIL common
- RAIL common
- SAIL common
- TAIL common
- VAIL rare
- WAIL common
How hard was Poople #294?
By our count it rates Hard: fewest 5 steps. That makes #294 harder than 13% of the 420 puzzles so far.
More Poople puzzles
- Previous: #293 TEAS (Jun 3, 2026)
- Next: #295 MOJO (Jun 5, 2026)
- Same difficulty: #291 LARD, #292 MUSS, #293 TEAS
- Every puzzle: Poople archive · Today: today's answer · Random practice: Poople Unlimited
How many steps is Poople #294?
Poople #294 takes 5 steps. We count the fewest steps from NAIL 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 #294?
The starting word for Poople #294 was NAIL, on Thursday, June 4, 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 #294?
Yes. Press Play this puzzle on this page and the board loads with NAIL 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.