Puzzle #401 · Sep 19, 2026
Poople #401 Answer: FANS to POOP
Poople #401 was the puzzle for Saturday, September 19, 2026. The starting word was FANS, and the shortest ladder to POOP takes 5 steps. We found 9 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 #401 hints
Hint 1: Which letter changes first
The first move changes the 1st letter of FANS, the F.
Hint 2: The next word starts with …
The word after FANS starts with C. Halfway down, the ladder passes through a word that starts with C.
Hint 3: Show me the full ladder
FANS → CANS → CONS → COOS → COOP → POOP
5 steps
Step count computed with our word list (ENABLE + SCOWL); the official game uses its own list.
| Step | From | To | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | FANS | CANS | 1st letter F to C |
| 2 | CANS | CONS | 2nd letter A to O |
| 3 | CONS | COOS | 3rd letter N 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 FANS
Our word list allows 9 shortest ladders from FANS to POOP, each 5 steps. They are folded so they don't give the answer away.
Show all 9 paths
- FANS → CANS → CONS → COOS → COOP → POOP
- FANS → FONS → CONS → COOS → COOP → POOP
- FANS → PANS → PAMS → POMS → POMP → POOP
- FANS → PANS → PONS → POND → POOD → POOP
- FANS → PANS → PONS → POMS → POMP → POOP
- FANS → FONS → FOND → FOOD → POOD → POOP
- FANS → FONS → FOND → POND → POOD → POOP
- FANS → FONS → PONS → POND → POOD → POOP
- FANS → FONS → PONS → POMS → POMP → POOP
Words one letter away from FANS
These 20 words differ from FANS 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.
- BANS common
- CANS common
- FADS common
- FAGS rare
- FANE rare
- FANG common
- FANO rare
- FATS common
- FAYS rare
- FENS rare
- FINS common
- FONS rare
- FUNS rare
- MANS common
- NANS rare
- PANS common
- SANS rare
- TANS common
- VANS common
- WANS rare
How hard was Poople #401?
By our count it rates Hard: fewest 5 steps. That makes #401 harder than 13% of the 420 puzzles so far.
More Poople puzzles
- Previous: #400 CARE (Sep 18, 2026)
- Next: #402 AWAY (Sep 20, 2026)
- Same difficulty: #396 CARS, #398 WHAT, #400 CARE
- Every puzzle: Poople archive · Today: today's answer · Random practice: Poople Unlimited
How many steps is Poople #401?
Poople #401 takes 5 steps. We count the fewest steps from FANS 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 #401?
The starting word for Poople #401 was FANS, on Saturday, September 19, 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 #401?
Yes. Press Play this puzzle on this page and the board loads with FANS 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.