Puzzle #403 · Sep 21, 2026
Poople #403 Answer: PETS to POOP
Poople #403 was the puzzle for Monday, September 21, 2026. The starting word was PETS, and the shortest ladder to POOP takes 4 steps. We found 1 shortest path 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 #403 hints
Hint 1: Which letter changes first
The first move changes the 2nd letter of PETS, the E.
Hint 2: The next word starts with …
The word after PETS starts with P. Halfway down, the ladder passes through a word that starts with P.
Hint 3: Show me the full ladder
PETS → POTS → POMS → POMP → POOP
4 steps
Step count computed with our word list (ENABLE + SCOWL); the official game uses its own list.
POMS is in our word list but marked rare, so the official game may not accept it.
| Step | From | To | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | PETS | POTS | 2nd letter E to O |
| 2 | POTS | POMS | 3rd letter T to M |
| 3 | POMS | POMP | 4th letter S to P |
| 4 | POMP | POOP | 3rd letter M to O |
Play this puzzle
Words one letter away from PETS
These 25 words differ from PETS 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.
- BETS common
- FETS rare
- GETS common
- HETS rare
- JETS common
- LETS common
- NETS common
- PATS common
- PEAS common
- PECS rare
- PEDS rare
- PEES rare
- PEGS common
- PEHS rare
- PENS common
- PEPS common
- PEWS common
- PITS common
- POTS common
- PUTS common
- RETS rare
- SETS common
- TETS rare
- VETS common
- WETS common
How hard was Poople #403?
By our count it rates Medium: fewest 4 steps. That makes #403 harder than 1% of the 420 puzzles so far.
More Poople puzzles
- Previous: #402 AWAY (Sep 20, 2026)
- Next: #404 WHEN (Sep 22, 2026)
- Same difficulty: #369 PERT, #381 ANON, #393 FUND
- Every puzzle: Poople archive · Today: today's answer · Random practice: Poople Unlimited
How many steps is Poople #403?
Poople #403 takes 4 steps. We count the fewest steps from PETS 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 #403?
The starting word for Poople #403 was PETS, on Monday, September 21, 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 Medium. Hints for it are at the top of this page.
Can I replay Poople #403?
Yes. Press Play this puzzle on this page and the board loads with PETS 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.