Puzzle #414 · Oct 2, 2026
Poople #414 Answer: ICED to POOP
Poople #414 was the puzzle for Friday, October 2, 2026. The starting word was ICED, and the shortest ladder to POOP takes 7 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 #414 hints
Hint 1: Which letter changes first
The first move changes the 2nd letter of ICED, the C.
Hint 2: The next word starts with …
The word after ICED starts with I. Halfway down, the ladder passes through a word that starts with B.
Hint 3: Show me the full ladder
ICED → IRED → BRED → BREW → BROW → PROW → PROP → POOP
7 steps
Step count computed with our word list (ENABLE + SCOWL); the official game uses its own list.
IRED is in our word list but marked rare, so the official game may not accept it.
| Step | From | To | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ICED | IRED | 2nd letter C to R |
| 2 | IRED | BRED | 1st letter I to B |
| 3 | BRED | BREW | 4th letter D to W |
| 4 | BREW | BROW | 3rd letter E to O |
| 5 | BROW | PROW | 1st letter B to P |
| 6 | PROW | PROP | 4th letter W to P |
| 7 | PROP | POOP | 2nd letter R to O |
Play this puzzle
All shortest paths from ICED
Our word list allows 4 shortest ladders from ICED to POOP, each 7 steps. They are folded so they don't give the answer away.
Show all 4 paths
- ICED → IRED → BRED → BREW → BROW → PROW → PROP → POOP
- ICED → IRED → BRED → BLED → PLED → PLOD → PLOP → POOP
- ICED → IRED → BRED → BLED → PLED → PLOD → POOD → POOP
- ICED → IRED → BRED → BREE → PREE → PREP → PROP → POOP
Words one letter away from ICED
These 3 words differ from ICED 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.
- ACED common
- ICES common
- IRED rare
How hard was Poople #414?
By our count it rates Expert: fewest 7 steps. That makes #414 harder than 93% of the 420 puzzles so far.
More Poople puzzles
- Previous: #413 TEES (Oct 1, 2026)
- Next: #415 TEEN (Oct 3, 2026)
- Same difficulty: #308 QUIZ, #375 RITZ, #394 AHEM
- Every puzzle: Poople archive · Today: today's answer · Random practice: Poople Unlimited
How many steps is Poople #414?
Poople #414 takes 7 steps. We count the fewest steps from ICED 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 #414?
The starting word for Poople #414 was ICED, on Friday, October 2, 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 #414?
Yes. Press Play this puzzle on this page and the board loads with ICED 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.