Poople #444 answer & hints
Ladder 1
KILT → POOP
KILTPOOP
Hint 1 Tap to reveal
The shortest path takes 5 steps after KILT.
Hint 2 Tap to reveal
Your first move turns KILT into a word matching K I L _.
Hint 3 Tap to reveal
The word just before POOP is POOL.
Show the shortest path Spoiler
5 steps
startKILT
step 1KILL
step 2PILL
step 3POLL
step 4POOL
step 5POOP
There are 2 different shortest paths of 5 steps; this one uses the most common words.
Reasoning & candidate comparison Contains the answer
Why the 5-step KILT ladder works
- Start at KILT. A breadth-first search from POOP over the 2,398 words in the captured official dictionary places KILT at distance 5. Each edge changes exactly one letter, so no shorter route exists in this captured graph.
- KILT → KILL: change letter 4 from T to L. The shortest remaining distance falls from 5 to 4.
- KILL → PILL: change letter 1 from K to P. The shortest remaining distance falls from 4 to 3.
- PILL → POLL: change letter 2 from I to O. The shortest remaining distance falls from 3 to 2.
- POLL → POOL: change letter 3 from L to O. The shortest remaining distance falls from 2 to 1.
- POOL → POOP: change letter 4 from L to P. The shortest remaining distance falls from 1 to 0.
- 2 of the 9 accepted one-letter neighbours of KILT can start a shortest route: HILT, KILL. Compare remaining distance, not just how similar the spelling looks to POOP.
| Candidate / approach | Assessment | Why |
|---|---|---|
| KILT → KILL | Keeps a shortest route | KILL is in the captured game dictionary and changes one letter. It needs at least 4 more steps, making 5 from KILT. |
| KILT → HILT | Keeps a shortest route | HILT is in the captured game dictionary and changes one letter. It needs at least 4 more steps, making 5 from KILT. |
| KILT → GILT | Valid word, longer route | GILT is in the captured game dictionary and changes one letter. It needs at least 5 more steps, making 6 from KILT, 1 more than the optimum. |
| KILT → LILT | Valid word, longer route | LILT is in the captured game dictionary and changes one letter. It needs at least 5 more steps, making 6 from KILT, 1 more than the optimum. |
What this does and does not establish
- This is our reproducible graph analysis using the dictionary snapshot captured 2026-11-01 (SHA-256 4e15f14a91768bd0b3c7104ed443dfd4499cbd0b4f7cdcbd1525fa83bfb6f5f9). It is not a claim that Poople published this exact route, or that its dictionary was identical on every historical date.
Show the Poople #444 answer card Spoiler
Every answer for #444
All Poople #444 answers in one table Spoiler
| Ladder | Clue | Shortest path |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | KILT → POOP | KILT → KILL → PILL → POLL → POOL → POOP |
Poople #444 FAQ
What date was Poople #444?
Poople #444 was the puzzle for Sunday, November 1, 2026.
How do I check Poople #444 without spoilers?
Open the hints one at a time on this page. There are 3 hints across 1 ladder, ordered from a gentle nudge to the full solution, and each shortest path stays hidden until you tap to show it.
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