Puzzle #371 · Aug 20, 2026
Poople #371 Answer: MICE to POOP
Poople #371 was the puzzle for Thursday, August 20, 2026. The starting word was MICE, 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 #371 hints
Hint 1: Which letter changes first
The first move changes the 3rd letter of MICE, the C.
Hint 2: The next word starts with …
The word after MICE starts with M. Halfway down, the ladder passes through a word that starts with P.
Hint 3: Show me the full ladder
MICE → MIME → MOME → POME → POMP → POOP
5 steps
Step count computed with our word list (ENABLE + SCOWL); the official game uses its own list.
MOME and POME are in our word list but marked rare, so the official game may not accept them.
| Step | From | To | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | MICE | MIME | 3rd letter C to M |
| 2 | MIME | MOME | 2nd letter I to O |
| 3 | MOME | POME | 1st letter M to P |
| 4 | POME | POMP | 4th letter E to P |
| 5 | POMP | POOP | 3rd letter M to O |
Play this puzzle
Words one letter away from MICE
These 19 words differ from MICE 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.
- BICE rare
- DICE common
- FICE rare
- LICE common
- MACE common
- MICA rare
- MICK rare
- MIKE common
- MILE common
- MIME common
- MINE common
- MIRE common
- MISE rare
- MITE common
- NICE common
- PICE rare
- RICE common
- SICE rare
- VICE common
How hard was Poople #371?
By our count it rates Hard: fewest 5 steps. That makes #371 harder than 13% of the 420 puzzles so far.
More Poople puzzles
- Previous: #370 SUES (Aug 19, 2026)
- Next: #372 CANT (Aug 21, 2026)
- Same difficulty: #366 PAGE, #368 JAYS, #370 SUES
- Every puzzle: Poople archive · Today: today's answer · Random practice: Poople Unlimited
How many steps is Poople #371?
Poople #371 takes 5 steps. We count the fewest steps from MICE 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 #371?
The starting word for Poople #371 was MICE, on Thursday, August 20, 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 #371?
Yes. Press Play this puzzle on this page and the board loads with MICE 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.