Puzzle #378 · Aug 27, 2026
Poople #378 Answer: GELS to POOP
Poople #378 was the puzzle for Thursday, August 27, 2026. The starting word was GELS, and the shortest ladder to POOP takes 5 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 #378 hints
Hint 1: Which letter changes first
The first move changes the 3rd letter of GELS, the L.
Hint 2: The next word starts with …
The word after GELS starts with G. Halfway down, the ladder passes through a word that starts with G.
Hint 3: Show me the full ladder
GELS → GEES → GOES → GOOS → GOOP → POOP
5 steps
Step count computed with our word list (ENABLE + SCOWL); the official game uses its own list.
GOOS and GOOP are in our word list but marked rare, so the official game may not accept them.
| Step | From | To | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GELS | GEES | 3rd letter L to E |
| 2 | GEES | GOES | 2nd letter E to O |
| 3 | GOES | GOOS | 3rd letter E to O |
| 4 | GOOS | GOOP | 4th letter S to P |
| 5 | GOOP | POOP | 1st letter G to P |
Play this puzzle
All shortest paths from GELS
Our word list allows 5 shortest ladders from GELS to POOP, each 5 steps. They are folded so they don't give the answer away.
Show all 5 paths
- GELS → GEES → GOES → GOOS → GOOP → POOP
- GELS → CELS → COLS → COOS → COOP → POOP
- GELS → GELD → GOLD → GOOD → GOOP → POOP
- GELS → GELD → GOLD → GOOD → POOD → POOP
- GELS → GEDS → GODS → GOOS → GOOP → POOP
Words one letter away from GELS
These 16 words differ from GELS 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.
- BELS rare
- CELS rare
- DELS rare
- EELS common
- GALS common
- GEDS rare
- GEES common
- GELD rare
- GELT rare
- GEMS common
- GENS rare
- GETS common
- GULS rare
- MELS rare
- SELS rare
- TELS rare
How hard was Poople #378?
By our count it rates Hard: fewest 5 steps. That makes #378 harder than 13% of the 420 puzzles so far.
More Poople puzzles
- Previous: #377 TINT (Aug 26, 2026)
- Next: #379 MICA (Aug 28, 2026)
- Same difficulty: #372 CANT, #374 GIRL, #376 OUTS
- Every puzzle: Poople archive · Today: today's answer · Random practice: Poople Unlimited
How many steps is Poople #378?
Poople #378 takes 5 steps. We count the fewest steps from GELS 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 #378?
The starting word for Poople #378 was GELS, on Thursday, August 27, 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 #378?
Yes. Press Play this puzzle on this page and the board loads with GELS 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.