Puzzle #5 · Aug 19, 2025
Poople #5 Answer: HALE to POOP
Poople #5 was the puzzle for Tuesday, August 19, 2025. The starting word was HALE, 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 #5 hints
Hint 1: Which letter changes first
The first move changes the 2nd letter of HALE, the A.
Hint 2: The next word starts with …
The word after HALE starts with H. Halfway down, the ladder passes through a word that starts with H.
Hint 3: Show me the full ladder
HALE → HOLE → HOLP → HOOP → POOP
4 steps
Step count computed with our word list (ENABLE + SCOWL); the official game uses its own list.
HOLP is in our word list but marked rare, so the official game may not accept it.
| Step | From | To | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | HALE | HOLE | 2nd letter A to O |
| 2 | HOLE | HOLP | 4th letter E to P |
| 3 | HOLP | HOOP | 3rd letter L to O |
| 4 | HOOP | POOP | 1st letter H to P |
Play this puzzle
Words one letter away from HALE
These 24 words differ from HALE 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.
- BALE common
- DALE rare
- GALE common
- HADE rare
- HAKE rare
- HALF common
- HALL common
- HALM rare
- HALO common
- HALT common
- HAME rare
- HARE common
- HATE common
- HAVE common
- HAZE common
- HOLE common
- KALE rare
- MALE common
- PALE common
- RALE rare
- SALE common
- TALE common
- VALE rare
- WALE rare
How hard was Poople #5?
By our count it rates Medium: fewest 4 steps. That makes #5 harder than 1% of the 420 puzzles so far.
More Poople puzzles
- Previous: #4 JIVE (Aug 18, 2025)
- Next: #6 NEAR (Aug 20, 2025)
- Same difficulty: #37 TOES, #39 TURN, #52 PANS
- Every puzzle: Poople archive · Today: today's answer · Random practice: Poople Unlimited
How many steps is Poople #5?
Poople #5 takes 4 steps. We count the fewest steps from HALE 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 #5?
The starting word for Poople #5 was HALE, on Tuesday, August 19, 2025. 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 #5?
Yes. Press Play this puzzle on this page and the board loads with HALE 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.