Puzzle #406 · Sep 24, 2026
Poople #406 Answer: TRAY to POOP
Poople #406 was the puzzle for Thursday, September 24, 2026. The starting word was TRAY, and the shortest ladder to POOP takes 4 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 #406 hints
Hint 1: Which letter changes first
The first move changes the 4th letter of TRAY, the Y.
Hint 2: The next word starts with …
The word after TRAY starts with T. Halfway down, the ladder passes through a word that starts with T.
Hint 3: Show me the full ladder
TRAY → TRAP → TROP → PROP → POOP
4 steps
Step count computed with our word list (ENABLE + SCOWL); the official game uses its own list.
TROP is in our word list but marked rare, so the official game may not accept it.
| Step | From | To | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | TRAY | TRAP | 4th letter Y to P |
| 2 | TRAP | TROP | 3rd letter A to O |
| 3 | TROP | PROP | 1st letter T to P |
| 4 | PROP | POOP | 2nd letter R to O |
Play this puzzle
All shortest paths from TRAY
Our word list allows 2 shortest ladders from TRAY to POOP, each 4 steps. They are folded so they don't give the answer away.
Show all 2 paths
- TRAY → TRAP → TROP → PROP → POOP
- TRAY → TROY → TROP → PROP → POOP
Words one letter away from TRAY
These 10 words differ from TRAY 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.
- BRAY common
- DRAY rare
- FRAY common
- GRAY common
- PRAY common
- TRAD rare
- TRAM rare
- TRAP common
- TREY rare
- TROY rare
How hard was Poople #406?
By our count it rates Medium: fewest 4 steps. That makes #406 harder than 1% of the 420 puzzles so far.
More Poople puzzles
- Previous: #405 YANK (Sep 23, 2026)
- Next: #407 FUNK (Sep 25, 2026)
- Same difficulty: #381 ANON, #393 FUND, #403 PETS
- Every puzzle: Poople archive · Today: today's answer · Random practice: Poople Unlimited
How many steps is Poople #406?
Poople #406 takes 4 steps. We count the fewest steps from TRAY 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 #406?
The starting word for Poople #406 was TRAY, on Thursday, September 24, 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 #406?
Yes. Press Play this puzzle on this page and the board loads with TRAY 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.