Puzzle #388 · Sep 6, 2026
Poople #388 Answer: ITCH to POOP
Poople #388 was the puzzle for Sunday, September 6, 2026. The starting word was ITCH, and the shortest ladder to POOP takes 8 steps. We found 4 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 #388 hints
Hint 1: Which letter changes first
The first move changes the 1st letter of ITCH, the I.
Hint 2: The next word starts with …
The word after ITCH starts with E. Halfway down, the ladder passes through a word that starts with B.
Hint 3: Show me the full ladder
ITCH → ETCH → EACH → BACH → BASH → BOSH → POSH → POOH → POOP
8 steps
Step count computed with our word list (ENABLE + SCOWL); the official game uses its own list.
BACH and BOSH and POSH and POOH are in our word list but marked rare, so the official game may not accept them.
| Step | From | To | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ITCH | ETCH | 1st letter I to E |
| 2 | ETCH | EACH | 2nd letter T to A |
| 3 | EACH | BACH | 1st letter E to B |
| 4 | BACH | BASH | 3rd letter C to S |
| 5 | BASH | BOSH | 2nd letter A to O |
| 6 | BOSH | POSH | 1st letter B to P |
| 7 | POSH | POOH | 3rd letter S to O |
| 8 | POOH | POOP | 4th letter H to P |
Play this puzzle
All shortest paths from ITCH
Our word list allows 4 shortest ladders from ITCH to POOP, each 8 steps. They are folded so they don't give the answer away.
Show all 4 paths
- ITCH → ETCH → EACH → BACH → BASH → BOSH → POSH → POOH → POOP
- ITCH → ETCH → EACH → BACH → BASH → PASH → POSH → POOH → POOP
- ITCH → ETCH → EACH → EATH → PATH → PASH → POSH → POOH → POOP
- ITCH → ETCH → EACH → MACH → MASH → PASH → POSH → POOH → POOP
Words one letter away from ITCH
These 2 words differ from ITCH 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.
- ETCH common
- INCH common
How hard was Poople #388?
By our count it rates Expert: fewest 8 steps. That makes #388 harder than 98% of the 420 puzzles so far.
More Poople puzzles
- Previous: #387 TINS (Sep 5, 2026)
- Next: #389 GIST (Sep 7, 2026)
- Same difficulty: #299 APPS, #326 JAZZ, #351 BUZZ
- Every puzzle: Poople archive · Today: today's answer · Random practice: Poople Unlimited
How many steps is Poople #388?
Poople #388 takes 8 steps. We count the fewest steps from ITCH 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 #388?
The starting word for Poople #388 was ITCH, on Sunday, September 6, 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 #388?
Yes. Press Play this puzzle on this page and the board loads with ITCH 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.