Puzzle #316 · Jun 26, 2026
Poople #316 Answer: NANA to POOP
Poople #316 was the puzzle for Friday, June 26, 2026. The starting word was NANA, and the shortest ladder to POOP takes 6 steps. We found 11 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 #316 hints
Hint 1: Which letter changes first
The first move changes the 4th letter of NANA, the A.
Hint 2: The next word starts with …
The word after NANA starts with N. Halfway down, the ladder passes through a word that starts with C.
Hint 3: Show me the full ladder
NANA → NANS → CANS → CONS → COOS → COOP → POOP
6 steps
Step count computed with our word list (ENABLE + SCOWL); the official game uses its own list.
NANS is in our word list but marked rare, so the official game may not accept it.
| Step | From | To | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | NANA | NANS | 4th letter A to S |
| 2 | NANS | CANS | 1st letter N to C |
| 3 | CANS | CONS | 2nd letter A to O |
| 4 | CONS | COOS | 3rd letter N to O |
| 5 | COOS | COOP | 4th letter S to P |
| 6 | COOP | POOP | 1st letter C to P |
Play this puzzle
All shortest paths from NANA
Our word list allows 11 shortest ladders from NANA to POOP, each 6 steps. They are folded so they don't give the answer away.
Show all 11 paths
- NANA → NANS → CANS → CONS → COOS → COOP → POOP
- NANA → NANS → PANS → PAMS → POMS → POMP → POOP
- NANA → NANS → PANS → PONS → POND → POOD → POOP
- NANA → NANS → PANS → PONS → POMS → POMP → POOP
- NANA → NONA → NONE → NOME → POME → POMP → POOP
- NANA → NONA → NONE → PONE → POND → POOD → POOP
- NANA → NONA → NONE → PONE → POME → POMP → POOP
- NANA → NONA → NOMA → COMA → COMP → COOP → POOP
- NANA → NONA → NOMA → COMA → COMP → POMP → POOP
- NANA → NONA → NOMA → NOME → POME → POMP → POOP
- NANA → NONA → NOMA → NOMS → POMS → POMP → POOP
Words one letter away from NANA
These 6 words differ from NANA 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.
- KANA rare
- MANA rare
- NADA rare
- NANO rare
- NANS rare
- NONA rare
How hard was Poople #316?
By our count it rates Expert: fewest 6 steps. That makes #316 harder than 74% of the 420 puzzles so far.
More Poople puzzles
- Previous: #315 KIDS (Jun 25, 2026)
- Next: #317 NETS (Jun 27, 2026)
- Same difficulty: #306 ARTS, #312 VICE, #314 OURS
- Every puzzle: Poople archive · Today: today's answer · Random practice: Poople Unlimited
How many steps is Poople #316?
Poople #316 takes 6 steps. We count the fewest steps from NANA 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 #316?
The starting word for Poople #316 was NANA, on Friday, June 26, 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 #316?
Yes. Press Play this puzzle on this page and the board loads with NANA 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.