Puzzle #338 · Jul 18, 2026
Poople #338 Answer: TECH to POOP
Poople #338 was the puzzle for Saturday, July 18, 2026. The starting word was TECH, and the shortest ladder to POOP takes 6 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 #338 hints
Hint 1: Which letter changes first
The first move changes the 1st letter of TECH, the T.
Hint 2: The next word starts with …
The word after TECH starts with L. Halfway down, the ladder passes through a word that starts with L.
Hint 3: Show me the full ladder
TECH → LECH → LOCH → LOCK → LOOK → LOOP → POOP
6 steps
Step count computed with our word list (ENABLE + SCOWL); the official game uses its own list.
LECH and LOCH are in our word list but marked rare, so the official game may not accept them.
| Step | From | To | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | TECH | LECH | 1st letter T to L |
| 2 | LECH | LOCH | 2nd letter E to O |
| 3 | LOCH | LOCK | 4th letter H to K |
| 4 | LOCK | LOOK | 3rd letter C to O |
| 5 | LOOK | LOOP | 4th letter K to P |
| 6 | LOOP | POOP | 1st letter L to P |
Play this puzzle
Words one letter away from TECH
These 5 words differ from TECH 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.
- LECH rare
- PECH rare
- TACH rare
- TETH rare
- YECH rare
How hard was Poople #338?
By our count it rates Expert: fewest 6 steps. That makes #338 harder than 74% of the 420 puzzles so far.
More Poople puzzles
- Previous: #337 GRAN (Jul 17, 2026)
- Next: #339 TEAL (Jul 19, 2026)
- Same difficulty: #324 VIEW, #328 QUIT, #334 FUME
- Every puzzle: Poople archive · Today: today's answer · Random practice: Poople Unlimited
How many steps is Poople #338?
Poople #338 takes 6 steps. We count the fewest steps from TECH 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 #338?
The starting word for Poople #338 was TECH, on Saturday, July 18, 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 #338?
Yes. Press Play this puzzle on this page and the board loads with TECH 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.