Puzzle #99 · Nov 21, 2025

Poople #99 Answer: SANS to POOP

Poople #99 was the puzzle for Friday, November 21, 2025. The starting word was SANS, and the shortest ladder to POOP takes 5 steps. We found 7 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 #99 hints

Hint 1: Which letter changes first

The first move changes the 1st letter of SANS, the S.

Hint 2: The next word starts with …

The word after SANS starts with C. Halfway down, the ladder passes through a word that starts with C.

Hint 3: Show me the full ladder

SANS → CANS → CONS → COOS → COOP → POOP

Shortest ladder Hard

5 steps

Step count computed with our word list (ENABLE + SCOWL); the official game uses its own list.

Letter changes, step by step
StepFromToChange
1SANSCANS1st letter S to C
2CANSCONS2nd letter A to O
3CONSCOOS3rd letter N to O
4COOSCOOP4th letter S to P
5COOPPOOP1st letter C to P
Play this puzzle

All shortest paths from SANS

Our word list allows 7 shortest ladders from SANS to POOP, each 5 steps. They are folded so they don't give the answer away.

Show all 7 paths
  1. SANS → CANS → CONS → COOS → COOP → POOP
  2. SANS → SONS → CONS → COOS → COOP → POOP
  3. SANS → PANS → PAMS → POMS → POMP → POOP
  4. SANS → PANS → PONS → POND → POOD → POOP
  5. SANS → PANS → PONS → POMS → POMP → POOP
  6. SANS → SONS → PONS → POND → POOD → POOP
  7. SANS → SONS → PONS → POMS → POMP → POOP

Words one letter away from SANS

These 24 words differ from SANS 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
  • PANS common
  • SABS rare
  • SACS common
  • SAGS common
  • SALS rare
  • SAND common
  • SANE common
  • SANG common
  • SANK common
  • SAPS common
  • SASS rare
  • SAWS common
  • SAYS common
  • SINS common
  • SONS common
  • SUNS common
  • TANS common
  • VANS common
  • WANS rare

How hard was Poople #99?

By our count it rates Hard: fewest 5 steps. That makes #99 harder than 13% of the 420 puzzles so far.

More Poople puzzles

How many steps is Poople #99?

Poople #99 takes 5 steps. We count the fewest steps from SANS 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 #99?

The starting word for Poople #99 was SANS, on Friday, November 21, 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 Hard. Hints for it are at the top of this page.

Can I replay Poople #99?

Yes. Press Play this puzzle on this page and the board loads with SANS 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.