Puzzle #394 · Sep 12, 2026
Poople #394 Answer: AHEM to POOP
Poople #394 was the puzzle for Saturday, September 12, 2026. The starting word was AHEM, and the shortest ladder to POOP takes 7 steps. We found 7 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 #394 hints
Hint 1: Which letter changes first
The first move changes the 1st letter of AHEM, the A.
Hint 2: The next word starts with …
The word after AHEM starts with T. Halfway down, the ladder passes through a word that starts with C.
Hint 3: Show me the full ladder
AHEM → THEM → THEW → CHEW → CHOW → CHOP → COOP → POOP
7 steps
Step count computed with our word list (ENABLE + SCOWL); the official game uses its own list.
THEW is in our word list but marked rare, so the official game may not accept it.
| Step | From | To | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | AHEM | THEM | 1st letter A to T |
| 2 | THEM | THEW | 4th letter M to W |
| 3 | THEW | CHEW | 1st letter T to C |
| 4 | CHEW | CHOW | 3rd letter E to O |
| 5 | CHOW | CHOP | 4th letter W to P |
| 6 | CHOP | COOP | 2nd letter H to O |
| 7 | COOP | POOP | 1st letter C to P |
Play this puzzle
All shortest paths from AHEM
Our word list allows 7 shortest ladders from AHEM to POOP, each 7 steps. They are folded so they don't give the answer away.
Show all 7 paths
- AHEM → THEM → THEW → CHEW → CHOW → CHOP → COOP → POOP
- AHEM → THEM → THEY → TREY → PREY → PREP → PROP → POOP
- AHEM → THEM → TEEM → TEEN → PEEN → PEON → POON → POOP
- AHEM → THEM → THEN → TEEN → PEEN → PEON → POON → POOP
- AHEM → THEM → THEY → TREY → TROY → TROP → PROP → POOP
- AHEM → THEM → THEE → TREE → PREE → PREP → PROP → POOP
- AHEM → THEM → THEW → PHEW → PLEW → PLOW → PLOP → POOP
Words one letter away from AHEM
These 1 word differ from AHEM 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.
- THEM common
How hard was Poople #394?
By our count it rates Expert: fewest 7 steps. That makes #394 harder than 93% of the 420 puzzles so far.
More Poople puzzles
- Previous: #393 FUND (Sep 11, 2026)
- Next: #395 PAID (Sep 13, 2026)
- Same difficulty: #264 QUID, #308 QUIZ, #375 RITZ
- Every puzzle: Poople archive · Today: today's answer · Random practice: Poople Unlimited
How many steps is Poople #394?
Poople #394 takes 7 steps. We count the fewest steps from AHEM 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 #394?
The starting word for Poople #394 was AHEM, on Saturday, September 12, 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 #394?
Yes. Press Play this puzzle on this page and the board loads with AHEM 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.