Puzzle #395 · Sep 13, 2026
Poople #395 Answer: PAID to POOP
Poople #395 was the puzzle for Sunday, September 13, 2026. The starting word was PAID, and the shortest ladder to POOP takes 5 steps. We found 2 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 #395 hints
Hint 1: Which letter changes first
The first move changes the 4th letter of PAID, the D.
Hint 2: The next word starts with …
The word after PAID starts with P. Halfway down, the ladder passes through a word that starts with P.
Hint 3: Show me the full ladder
PAID → PAIL → PALL → POLL → POOL → POOP
5 steps
Step count computed with our word list (ENABLE + SCOWL); the official game uses its own list.
| Step | From | To | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | PAID | PAIL | 4th letter D to L |
| 2 | PAIL | PALL | 3rd letter I to L |
| 3 | PALL | POLL | 2nd letter A to O |
| 4 | POLL | POOL | 3rd letter L to O |
| 5 | POOL | POOP | 4th letter L to P |
Play this puzzle
All shortest paths from PAID
Our word list allows 2 shortest ladders from PAID to POOP, each 5 steps. They are folded so they don't give the answer away.
Show all 2 paths
- PAID → PAIL → PALL → POLL → POOL → POOP
- PAID → PAIN → PEIN → PEON → POON → POOP
Words one letter away from PAID
These 11 words differ from PAID 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.
- CAID rare
- LAID common
- MAID common
- PAIK rare
- PAIL common
- PAIN common
- PAIR common
- PARD rare
- QAID rare
- RAID common
- SAID common
How hard was Poople #395?
By our count it rates Hard: fewest 5 steps. That makes #395 harder than 13% of the 420 puzzles so far.
More Poople puzzles
- Previous: #394 AHEM (Sep 12, 2026)
- Next: #396 CARS (Sep 14, 2026)
- Same difficulty: #389 GIST, #390 NEWS, #391 HYPE
- Every puzzle: Poople archive · Today: today's answer · Random practice: Poople Unlimited
How many steps is Poople #395?
Poople #395 takes 5 steps. We count the fewest steps from PAID 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 #395?
The starting word for Poople #395 was PAID, on Sunday, September 13, 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 #395?
Yes. Press Play this puzzle on this page and the board loads with PAID 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.