Puzzle #399 · Sep 17, 2026
Poople #399 Answer: DUTY to POOP
Poople #399 was the puzzle for Thursday, September 17, 2026. The starting word was DUTY, and the shortest ladder to POOP takes 6 steps. We found 10 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 #399 hints
Hint 1: Which letter changes first
The first move changes the 3rd letter of DUTY, the T.
Hint 2: The next word starts with …
The word after DUTY starts with D. Halfway down, the ladder passes through a word that starts with D.
Hint 3: Show me the full ladder
DUTY → DULY → DULL → DOLL → POLL → POOL → POOP
6 steps
Step count computed with our word list (ENABLE + SCOWL); the official game uses its own list.
| Step | From | To | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | DUTY | DULY | 3rd letter T to L |
| 2 | DULY | DULL | 4th letter Y to L |
| 3 | DULL | DOLL | 2nd letter U to O |
| 4 | DOLL | POLL | 1st letter D to P |
| 5 | POLL | POOL | 3rd letter L to O |
| 6 | POOL | POOP | 4th letter L to P |
Play this puzzle
All shortest paths from DUTY
Our word list allows 10 shortest ladders from DUTY to POOP, each 6 steps. They are folded so they don't give the answer away.
Show all 10 paths
- DUTY → DULY → DULL → DOLL → POLL → POOL → POOP
- DUTY → DULY → DULL → PULL → POLL → POOL → POOP
- DUTY → DOTY → DOTS → COTS → COOS → COOP → POOP
- DUTY → DOTY → DOTE → DOME → POME → POMP → POOP
- DUTY → DOTY → DOTS → LOTS → LOOS → LOOP → POOP
- DUTY → DOTY → DOTS → POTS → POMS → POMP → POOP
- DUTY → DOTY → DOTS → DOMS → POMS → POMP → POOP
- DUTY → DOTY → DORY → DORR → DOOR → POOR → POOP
- DUTY → DOTY → DORY → GORY → GORP → GOOP → POOP
- DUTY → DOTY → DORY → DORP → GORP → GOOP → POOP
Words one letter away from DUTY
These 2 words differ from DUTY 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.
- DOTY rare
- DULY common
How hard was Poople #399?
By our count it rates Expert: fewest 6 steps. That makes #399 harder than 74% of the 420 puzzles so far.
More Poople puzzles
- Previous: #398 WHAT (Sep 16, 2026)
- Next: #400 CARE (Sep 18, 2026)
- Same difficulty: #384 NEWT, #392 RACE, #397 RISK
- Every puzzle: Poople archive · Today: today's answer · Random practice: Poople Unlimited
How many steps is Poople #399?
Poople #399 takes 6 steps. We count the fewest steps from DUTY 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 #399?
The starting word for Poople #399 was DUTY, on Thursday, September 17, 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 #399?
Yes. Press Play this puzzle on this page and the board loads with DUTY 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.