Puzzle #367 · Aug 16, 2026
Poople #367 Answer: NEXT to POOP
Poople #367 was the puzzle for Sunday, August 16, 2026. The starting word was NEXT, and the shortest ladder to POOP takes 6 steps. We found 5 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 #367 hints
Hint 1: Which letter changes first
The first move changes the 3rd letter of NEXT, the X.
Hint 2: The next word starts with …
The word after NEXT starts with N. Halfway down, the ladder passes through a word that starts with L.
Hint 3: Show me the full ladder
NEXT → NEST → LEST → LOST → LOOT → LOOP → POOP
6 steps
Step count computed with our word list (ENABLE + SCOWL); the official game uses its own list.
| Step | From | To | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | NEXT | NEST | 3rd letter X to S |
| 2 | NEST | LEST | 1st letter N to L |
| 3 | LEST | LOST | 2nd letter E to O |
| 4 | LOST | LOOT | 3rd letter S to O |
| 5 | LOOT | LOOP | 4th letter T to P |
| 6 | LOOP | POOP | 1st letter L to P |
Play this puzzle
All shortest paths from NEXT
Our word list allows 5 shortest ladders from NEXT to POOP, each 6 steps. They are folded so they don't give the answer away.
Show all 5 paths
- NEXT → NEST → LEST → LOST → LOOT → LOOP → POOP
- NEXT → NEAT → PEAT → PLAT → PLOT → PLOP → POOP
- NEXT → NEST → HEST → HOST → HOOT → HOOP → POOP
- NEXT → NEAT → PEAT → PEAN → PEON → POON → POOP
- NEXT → NEST → PEST → POST → POSH → POOH → POOP
Words one letter away from NEXT
These 7 words differ from NEXT 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.
- NEAT common
- NEST common
- NETT rare
- NEWT common
- SEXT rare
- TEXT common
- VEXT rare
How hard was Poople #367?
By our count it rates Expert: fewest 6 steps. That makes #367 harder than 74% of the 420 puzzles so far.
More Poople puzzles
- Previous: #366 PAGE (Aug 15, 2026)
- Next: #368 JAYS (Aug 17, 2026)
- Same difficulty: #357 RITE, #359 LAVA, #365 WAVE
- Every puzzle: Poople archive · Today: today's answer · Random practice: Poople Unlimited
How many steps is Poople #367?
Poople #367 takes 6 steps. We count the fewest steps from NEXT 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 #367?
The starting word for Poople #367 was NEXT, on Sunday, August 16, 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 #367?
Yes. Press Play this puzzle on this page and the board loads with NEXT 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.