Puzzle #390 · Sep 8, 2026
Poople #390 Answer: NEWS to POOP
Poople #390 was the puzzle for Tuesday, September 8, 2026. The starting word was NEWS, 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 #390 hints
Hint 1: Which letter changes first
The first move changes the 2nd letter of NEWS, the E.
Hint 2: The next word starts with …
The word after NEWS starts with N. Halfway down, the ladder passes through a word that starts with C.
Hint 3: Show me the full ladder
NEWS → NOWS → COWS → COOS → COOP → POOP
5 steps
Step count computed with our word list (ENABLE + SCOWL); the official game uses its own list.
NOWS is in our word list but marked rare, so the official game may not accept it.
| Step | From | To | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | NEWS | NOWS | 2nd letter E to O |
| 2 | NOWS | COWS | 1st letter N to C |
| 3 | COWS | COOS | 3rd letter W to O |
| 4 | COOS | COOP | 4th letter S to P |
| 5 | COOP | POOP | 1st letter C to P |
Play this puzzle
All shortest paths from NEWS
Our word list allows 5 shortest ladders from NEWS to POOP, each 5 steps. They are folded so they don't give the answer away.
Show all 5 paths
- NEWS → NOWS → COWS → COOS → COOP → POOP
- NEWS → PEWS → POWS → POMS → POMP → POOP
- NEWS → NOWS → LOWS → LOOS → LOOP → POOP
- NEWS → NOWS → NOMS → POMS → POMP → POOP
- NEWS → NOWS → POWS → POMS → POMP → POOP
Words one letter away from NEWS
These 13 words differ from NEWS 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.
- DEWS rare
- HEWS common
- JEWS rare
- MEWS common
- NEBS rare
- NESS rare
- NETS common
- NEWT common
- NOWS rare
- PEWS common
- SEWS common
- TEWS rare
- YEWS common
How hard was Poople #390?
By our count it rates Hard: fewest 5 steps. That makes #390 harder than 13% of the 420 puzzles so far.
More Poople puzzles
- Previous: #389 GIST (Sep 7, 2026)
- Next: #391 HYPE (Sep 9, 2026)
- Same difficulty: #386 RACK, #387 TINS, #389 GIST
- Every puzzle: Poople archive · Today: today's answer · Random practice: Poople Unlimited
How many steps is Poople #390?
Poople #390 takes 5 steps. We count the fewest steps from NEWS 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 #390?
The starting word for Poople #390 was NEWS, on Tuesday, September 8, 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 #390?
Yes. Press Play this puzzle on this page and the board loads with NEWS 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.