Puzzle #402 · Sep 20, 2026
Poople #402 Answer: AWAY to POOP
Poople #402 was the puzzle for Sunday, September 20, 2026. The starting word was AWAY, and the shortest ladder to POOP takes 6 steps. We found 4 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 #402 hints
Hint 1: Which letter changes first
The first move changes the 1st letter of AWAY, the A.
Hint 2: The next word starts with …
The word after AWAY starts with S. Halfway down, the ladder passes through a word that starts with P.
Hint 3: Show me the full ladder
AWAY → SWAY → SLAY → PLAY → PLOY → PLOP → POOP
6 steps
Step count computed with our word list (ENABLE + SCOWL); the official game uses its own list.
| Step | From | To | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | AWAY | SWAY | 1st letter A to S |
| 2 | SWAY | SLAY | 2nd letter W to L |
| 3 | SLAY | PLAY | 1st letter S to P |
| 4 | PLAY | PLOY | 3rd letter A to O |
| 5 | PLOY | PLOP | 4th letter Y to P |
| 6 | PLOP | POOP | 2nd letter L to O |
Play this puzzle
All shortest paths from AWAY
Our word list allows 4 shortest ladders from AWAY to POOP, each 6 steps. They are folded so they don't give the answer away.
Show all 4 paths
- AWAY → SWAY → SLAY → PLAY → PLOY → PLOP → POOP
- AWAY → SWAY → SLAY → SLAP → SLOP → PLOP → POOP
- AWAY → SWAY → SWAP → SLAP → SLOP → PLOP → POOP
- AWAY → SWAY → SWAP → SWOP → SLOP → PLOP → POOP
Words one letter away from AWAY
These 3 words differ from AWAY 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.
- AWNY rare
- AWRY common
- SWAY common
How hard was Poople #402?
By our count it rates Expert: fewest 6 steps. That makes #402 harder than 74% of the 420 puzzles so far.
More Poople puzzles
- Previous: #401 FANS (Sep 19, 2026)
- Next: #403 PETS (Sep 21, 2026)
- Same difficulty: #392 RACE, #397 RISK, #399 DUTY
- Every puzzle: Poople archive · Today: today's answer · Random practice: Poople Unlimited
How many steps is Poople #402?
Poople #402 takes 6 steps. We count the fewest steps from AWAY 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 #402?
The starting word for Poople #402 was AWAY, on Sunday, September 20, 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 #402?
Yes. Press Play this puzzle on this page and the board loads with AWAY 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.