Poople Answer — #426, October 14, 2026
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Answer
Step-by-step solution
- MICS → MISS (C → S)
- MISS → MOSS (I → O)
- MOSS → MOOS (S → O)
- MOOS → COOS (M → C)
- COOS → COOP (S → P)
- COOP → POOP (C → P)
Today’s tricky part
6 moves are needed for this starting word. Change exactly one letter at a time, keeping the other letters in their positions. A jump that changes two letters does not count, even if both words are accepted.
Hints
Play Poople ↗1A little nudgeShowHide
The shortest route takes 6 one-letter changes.
2A stronger clueShowHide
The first move is MISS.
3Almost thereShowHide
The last word before POOP is COOP.
About this puzzle
Read the puzzle explanation (contains answer details)
October 14, 2026 · #426: MICS to POOP
MICS reaches POOP in six checked moves. None of its four positions initially matches the target. The first useful decision is to change C to S in the third position, making MISS. This keeps the opening MI and the final S intact. Although that new S does not belong in the final target, it provides a playable word from which the middle letters can change separately. Trying to turn both middle letters into O together would break the one-letter rule.
MISS becomes MOSS by replacing I with O in the second position. That O is now settled and stays fixed through the remaining moves. MOSS then becomes MOOS by changing the third S to O. Notice that the final S is still there. The route handles the two middle positions on different moves, even though they end with the same letter. This is a useful place to compare each neighboring pair in aligned columns before entering a word in the game.
MOOS to COOS replaces the first M with C. The OOS ending stays unchanged. C is another temporary letter, creating a word that can take the next change at the ending. COOS becomes COOP by replacing the last S with P. At COOP, the last three positions match the target. The remaining step replaces the first C with P and produces POOP. Every transition changes only one position, without adding, removing, or rearranging any letters.
The two extra changes beyond the four initial mismatches have clear roles. The third position travels from C through S before reaching O, and the first position travels from M through C before reaching P. The second and fourth positions each change only once. This accounts for six moves in total. Seven displayed words make six arrows; MICS is the supplied starting point rather than an additional move. The final arrow from COOP into POOP counts as move six.
For another attempt at this archive puzzle, hide the route and keep one clue: prepare the OO middle before trying to finish the outside letters. The first M can stay while the two middle positions are handled, but it later needs a temporary C. If your route is longer, compare where you changed the first or third position more often. Six moves are the checked minimum here; the displayed ladder is one valid shortest route, without claiming that every equally short answer must be identical.
Keep playing
Change one letter at a time to build a word ladder to POOP.