Puzzle #52 · Oct 5, 2025
Poople #52 Answer: PANS to POOP
Poople #52 was the puzzle for Sunday, October 5, 2025. The starting word was PANS, and the shortest ladder to POOP takes 4 steps. We found 3 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 #52 hints
Hint 1: Which letter changes first
The first move changes the 3rd letter of PANS, the N.
Hint 2: The next word starts with …
The word after PANS starts with P. Halfway down, the ladder passes through a word that starts with P.
Hint 3: Show me the full ladder
PANS → PAMS → POMS → POMP → POOP
4 steps
Step count computed with our word list (ENABLE + SCOWL); the official game uses its own list.
PAMS and POMS are in our word list but marked rare, so the official game may not accept them.
| Step | From | To | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | PANS | PAMS | 3rd letter N to M |
| 2 | PAMS | POMS | 2nd letter A to O |
| 3 | POMS | POMP | 4th letter S to P |
| 4 | POMP | POOP | 3rd letter M to O |
Play this puzzle
All shortest paths from PANS
Our word list allows 3 shortest ladders from PANS to POOP, each 4 steps. They are folded so they don't give the answer away.
Show all 3 paths
- PANS → PAMS → POMS → POMP → POOP
- PANS → PONS → POND → POOD → POOP
- PANS → PONS → POMS → POMP → POOP
Words one letter away from PANS
These 26 words differ from PANS 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.
- BANS common
- CANS common
- FANS common
- MANS common
- NANS rare
- PACS rare
- PADS common
- PALS common
- PAMS rare
- PANE common
- PANG common
- PANT common
- PAPS rare
- PARS common
- PASS common
- PATS common
- PAWS common
- PAYS common
- PENS common
- PINS common
- PONS rare
- PUNS common
- SANS rare
- TANS common
- VANS common
- WANS rare
How hard was Poople #52?
By our count it rates Medium: fewest 4 steps. That makes #52 harder than 1% of the 420 puzzles so far.
More Poople puzzles
- Previous: #51 GALE (Oct 4, 2025)
- Next: #53 NECK (Oct 6, 2025)
- Same difficulty: #5 HALE, #37 TOES, #39 TURN
- Every puzzle: Poople archive · Today: today's answer · Random practice: Poople Unlimited
How many steps is Poople #52?
Poople #52 takes 4 steps. We count the fewest steps from PANS 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 #52?
The starting word for Poople #52 was PANS, on Sunday, October 5, 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 #52?
Yes. Press Play this puzzle on this page and the board loads with PANS 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.