Puzzle #384 · Sep 2, 2026
Poople #384 Answer: NEWT to POOP
Poople #384 was the puzzle for Wednesday, September 2, 2026. The starting word was NEWT, and the shortest ladder to POOP takes 6 steps. We found 14 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 #384 hints
Hint 1: Which letter changes first
The first move changes the 3rd letter of NEWT, the W.
Hint 2: The next word starts with …
The word after NEWT starts with N. Halfway down, the ladder passes through a word that starts with L.
Hint 3: Show me the full ladder
NEWT → 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 | NEWT | NEST | 3rd letter W 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 NEWT
Our word list allows 14 shortest ladders from NEWT to POOP, each 6 steps. They are folded so they don't give the answer away.
Show all 14 paths
- NEWT → NEST → LEST → LOST → LOOT → LOOP → POOP
- NEWT → NEAT → PEAT → PLAT → PLOT → PLOP → POOP
- NEWT → NEST → HEST → HOST → HOOT → HOOP → POOP
- NEWT → NEWS → NOWS → COWS → COOS → COOP → POOP
- NEWT → NEAT → PEAT → PEAN → PEON → POON → POOP
- NEWT → NEST → PEST → POST → POSH → POOH → POOP
- NEWT → NEWS → PEWS → POWS → POMS → POMP → POOP
- NEWT → NEWS → NOWS → LOWS → LOOS → LOOP → POOP
- NEWT → NOWT → NOWS → COWS → COOS → COOP → POOP
- NEWT → NEWS → NOWS → NOMS → POMS → POMP → POOP
- NEWT → NEWS → NOWS → POWS → POMS → POMP → POOP
- NEWT → NOWT → NOWS → LOWS → LOOS → LOOP → POOP
- NEWT → NOWT → NOWS → NOMS → POMS → POMP → POOP
- NEWT → NOWT → NOWS → POWS → POMS → POMP → POOP
Words one letter away from NEWT
These 6 words differ from NEWT 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
- NEWS common
- NEXT common
- NOWT rare
How hard was Poople #384?
By our count it rates Expert: fewest 6 steps. That makes #384 harder than 74% of the 420 puzzles so far.
More Poople puzzles
- Previous: #383 NAPS (Sep 1, 2026)
- Next: #385 PERM (Sep 3, 2026)
- Same difficulty: #373 ENDS, #377 TINT, #382 WATT
- Every puzzle: Poople archive · Today: today's answer · Random practice: Poople Unlimited
How many steps is Poople #384?
Poople #384 takes 6 steps. We count the fewest steps from NEWT 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 #384?
The starting word for Poople #384 was NEWT, on Wednesday, September 2, 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 #384?
Yes. Press Play this puzzle on this page and the board loads with NEWT 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.