Puzzle #389 · Sep 7, 2026
Poople #389 Answer: GIST to POOP
Poople #389 was the puzzle for Monday, September 7, 2026. The starting word was GIST, and the shortest ladder to POOP takes 5 steps. We found 3 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 #389 hints
Hint 1: Which letter changes first
The first move changes the 1st letter of GIST, the G.
Hint 2: The next word starts with …
The word after GIST starts with L. Halfway down, the ladder passes through a word that starts with L.
Hint 3: Show me the full ladder
GIST → LIST → LOST → LOOT → LOOP → POOP
5 steps
Step count computed with our word list (ENABLE + SCOWL); the official game uses its own list.
| Step | From | To | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GIST | LIST | 1st letter G to L |
| 2 | LIST | LOST | 2nd letter I to O |
| 3 | LOST | LOOT | 3rd letter S to O |
| 4 | LOOT | LOOP | 4th letter T to P |
| 5 | LOOP | POOP | 1st letter L to P |
Play this puzzle
All shortest paths from GIST
Our word list allows 3 shortest ladders from GIST to POOP, each 5 steps. They are folded so they don't give the answer away.
Show all 3 paths
- GIST → LIST → LOST → LOOT → LOOP → POOP
- GIST → HIST → HOST → HOOT → HOOP → POOP
- GIST → CIST → COST → COOT → COOP → POOP
Words one letter away from GIST
These 13 words differ from GIST 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.
- CIST rare
- FIST common
- GAST rare
- GEST rare
- GIFT common
- GILT common
- GIRT rare
- GUST common
- HIST rare
- KIST rare
- LIST common
- MIST common
- WIST rare
How hard was Poople #389?
By our count it rates Hard: fewest 5 steps. That makes #389 harder than 13% of the 420 puzzles so far.
More Poople puzzles
- Previous: #388 ITCH (Sep 6, 2026)
- Next: #390 NEWS (Sep 8, 2026)
- Same difficulty: #385 PERM, #386 RACK, #387 TINS
- Every puzzle: Poople archive · Today: today's answer · Random practice: Poople Unlimited
How many steps is Poople #389?
Poople #389 takes 5 steps. We count the fewest steps from GIST 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 #389?
The starting word for Poople #389 was GIST, on Monday, September 7, 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 #389?
Yes. Press Play this puzzle on this page and the board loads with GIST 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.