Puzzle #368 · Aug 17, 2026
Poople #368 Answer: JAYS to POOP
Poople #368 was the puzzle for Monday, August 17, 2026. The starting word was JAYS, and the shortest ladder to POOP takes 5 steps. We found 6 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 #368 hints
Hint 1: Which letter changes first
The first move changes the 2nd letter of JAYS, the A.
Hint 2: The next word starts with …
The word after JAYS starts with J. Halfway down, the ladder passes through a word that starts with C.
Hint 3: Show me the full ladder
JAYS → JOYS → COYS → COOS → COOP → POOP
5 steps
Step count computed with our word list (ENABLE + SCOWL); the official game uses its own list.
COYS is in our word list but marked rare, so the official game may not accept it.
| Step | From | To | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | JAYS | JOYS | 2nd letter A to O |
| 2 | JOYS | COYS | 1st letter J to C |
| 3 | COYS | COOS | 3rd letter Y to O |
| 4 | COOS | COOP | 4th letter S to P |
| 5 | COOP | POOP | 1st letter C to P |
Play this puzzle
All shortest paths from JAYS
Our word list allows 6 shortest ladders from JAYS to POOP, each 5 steps. They are folded so they don't give the answer away.
Show all 6 paths
- JAYS → JOYS → COYS → COOS → COOP → POOP
- JAYS → JAMS → PAMS → POMS → POMP → POOP
- JAYS → PAYS → PAMS → POMS → POMP → POOP
- JAYS → CAYS → COYS → COOS → COOP → POOP
- JAYS → GAYS → GOYS → GOOS → GOOP → POOP
- JAYS → JOYS → GOYS → GOOS → GOOP → POOP
Words one letter away from JAYS
These 21 words differ from JAYS 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.
- BAYS common
- CAYS rare
- DAYS common
- FAYS rare
- GAYS common
- HAYS common
- JABS common
- JAGS rare
- JAMS common
- JARS common
- JAWS common
- JOYS common
- KAYS rare
- LAYS common
- MAYS rare
- NAYS common
- PAYS common
- RAYS common
- SAYS common
- WAYS common
- YAYS rare
How hard was Poople #368?
By our count it rates Hard: fewest 5 steps. That makes #368 harder than 13% of the 420 puzzles so far.
More Poople puzzles
- Previous: #367 NEXT (Aug 16, 2026)
- Next: #369 PERT (Aug 18, 2026)
- Same difficulty: #362 SWIM, #363 VOTE, #366 PAGE
- Every puzzle: Poople archive · Today: today's answer · Random practice: Poople Unlimited
How many steps is Poople #368?
Poople #368 takes 5 steps. We count the fewest steps from JAYS 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 #368?
The starting word for Poople #368 was JAYS, on Monday, August 17, 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 #368?
Yes. Press Play this puzzle on this page and the board loads with JAYS 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.