Puzzle #421 · Oct 9, 2026
Poople #421 Answer: CARB to POOP
Poople #421 is today's puzzle for Friday, October 9, 2026. The starting word is CARB, and the shortest ladder to POOP takes 5 steps. We found 6 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 #421 hints
Hint 1: Which letter changes first
The first move changes the 4th letter of CARB, the B.
Hint 2: The next word starts with …
The word after CARB starts with C. Halfway down, the ladder passes through a word that starts with C.
Hint 3: Show me the full ladder
CARB → CARP → CAMP → COMP → COOP → POOP
5 steps
Step count computed with our word list (ENABLE + SCOWL); the official game uses its own list.
COMP is in our word list but marked rare, so the official game may not accept it.
| Step | From | To | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CARB | CARP | 4th letter B to P |
| 2 | CARP | CAMP | 3rd letter R to M |
| 3 | CAMP | COMP | 2nd letter A to O |
| 4 | COMP | COOP | 3rd letter M to O |
| 5 | COOP | POOP | 1st letter C to P |
Play this puzzle
All shortest paths from CARB
Our word list allows 6 shortest ladders from CARB to POOP, each 5 steps. They are folded so they don't give the answer away.
Show all 6 paths
- CARB → CARP → CAMP → COMP → COOP → POOP
- CARB → CARP → CAMP → COMP → POMP → POOP
- CARB → CARK → CORK → COOK → COOP → POOP
- CARB → CARN → CORN → COON → COOP → POOP
- CARB → CARN → CORN → COON → POON → POOP
- CARB → CARN → CORN → PORN → POON → POOP
Words one letter away from CARB
These 13 words differ from CARB 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.
- BARB common
- CARD common
- CARE common
- CARK rare
- CARL rare
- CARN rare
- CARP common
- CARR rare
- CARS common
- CART common
- CURB common
- DARB rare
- GARB common
How hard was Poople #421?
By our count it rates Hard: fewest 5 steps. That makes #421 harder than 13% of the 421 puzzles so far.
More Poople puzzles
- Previous: #420 OMEN (Oct 8, 2026)
- Same difficulty: #417 PAIR, #418 RENT, #419 CARD
- Every puzzle: Poople archive · Today: today's answer · Random practice: Poople Unlimited
How many steps is Poople #421?
Poople #421 takes 5 steps. We count the fewest steps from CARB 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 #421?
The starting word for Poople #421 was CARB, on Friday, October 9, 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 #421?
Yes. Press Play this puzzle on this page and the board loads with CARB 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.