Puzzle #318 · Jun 28, 2026
Poople #318 Answer: LATE to POOP
Poople #318 was the puzzle for Sunday, June 28, 2026. The starting word was LATE, 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 #318 hints
Hint 1: Which letter changes first
The first move changes the 4th letter of LATE, the E.
Hint 2: The next word starts with …
The word after LATE starts with L. Halfway down, the ladder passes through a word that starts with L.
Hint 3: Show me the full ladder
LATE → LATS → LOTS → LOOS → LOOP → POOP
5 steps
Step count computed with our word list (ENABLE + SCOWL); the official game uses its own list.
LATS and LOOS are in our word list but marked rare, so the official game may not accept them.
| Step | From | To | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | LATE | LATS | 4th letter E to S |
| 2 | LATS | LOTS | 2nd letter A to O |
| 3 | LOTS | LOOS | 3rd letter T to O |
| 4 | LOOS | LOOP | 4th letter S to P |
| 5 | LOOP | POOP | 1st letter L to P |
Play this puzzle
Words one letter away from LATE
These 24 words differ from LATE 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.
- BATE rare
- CATE rare
- DATE common
- FATE common
- GATE common
- HATE common
- LACE common
- LADE rare
- LAKE common
- LAME common
- LANE common
- LASE rare
- LATH rare
- LATI rare
- LATS rare
- LAVE rare
- LAZE rare
- LITE rare
- LUTE common
- MATE common
- PATE common
- RATE common
- SATE rare
- TATE rare
How hard was Poople #318?
By our count it rates Hard: fewest 5 steps. That makes #318 harder than 13% of the 420 puzzles so far.
More Poople puzzles
- Previous: #317 NETS (Jun 27, 2026)
- Next: #319 WARD (Jun 29, 2026)
- Same difficulty: #313 LARK, #315 KIDS, #317 NETS
- Every puzzle: Poople archive · Today: today's answer · Random practice: Poople Unlimited
How many steps is Poople #318?
Poople #318 takes 5 steps. We count the fewest steps from LATE 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 #318?
The starting word for Poople #318 was LATE, on Sunday, June 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 Hard. Hints for it are at the top of this page.
Can I replay Poople #318?
Yes. Press Play this puzzle on this page and the board loads with LATE 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.