Let’s clear that up.
The little details behind your daily wordplay.
The game
How do I play Poople?
Start with the word on the board. Type a new four-letter word that changes exactly one letter, then press Enter. Keep going until you reach POOP. Every submitted word must be in this game’s dictionary.
What do the brown tiles mean?
A brown tile matches the letter in the same position in POOP. It is a visual guide, not a locked tile. You can change that letter again when a different route needs it.
How are moves and Perfect scored?
Every accepted word after the starting word counts as one move. Invalid attempts do not count. Perfect means your number of moves equals the shortest possible path in the current dictionary. You cannot beat the mathematical minimum.
Can I repeat a word or run out of guesses?
You can revisit a word before finishing, but it counts as another move. There is no small guess limit. An accepted move cannot be undone. Backspace edits only your current input.
Words
Why is my word not accepted?
The dictionary contains 5,394 connected four-letter words. It includes some uncommon words, regional forms and plurals, but not every English word. Proper-name spellings are not added separately. Words must use A–Z, be present in the list and differ in exactly one position. You can report a word from Support.
Is this the same dictionary and daily puzzle as the reference games?
No. This independent edition uses word-list-4.1.0-poople-1, derived from the MIT-licensed word-list package, plus the target POOP. It has its own puzzle sequence. A route or optimum from another edition may differ here.
Daily & statistics
When does the daily puzzle change?
The local-preview daily puzzle changes at 08:00 UTC. The countdown on the game shows how long remains. The date shown in the archive is the UTC date when the puzzle started. Your device’s timezone does not change the puzzle number.
How does my streak work?
Finishing daily puzzles on consecutive puzzle days extends your streak. Today can remain unfinished while yesterday’s streak stays active. Missing a whole puzzle day breaks the current streak. Your best streak stays recorded.
Does practice affect my statistics?
Unlimited is separate from Daily. Practice games do not add wins or change your daily streak, average extra moves, or saved daily path. Choose another puzzle whenever you want.
Saving & sharing
Will my progress survive a refresh?
Daily progress, your current input and first completion are stored in this browser. They are not tied to an account or synced across devices. Clearing site data removes them. If browser storage is unavailable, the game warns you and keeps only a temporary session.
Does sharing reveal my solution?
The share text contains the puzzle number, your move count, the minimum, and a grid of brown and white squares. It does not include intermediate words. You choose where to paste it; the game does not post for you.
Answers & tools
How can I find an older puzzle?
Search the Answers page by starting word or puzzle number, such as PIES, 30 or #30. You can also filter by difficulty and month. Historical puzzles #1–#408 retain the original words, dates and dictionary, while this edition’s daily games begin at #409. Answers appear only after their puzzle has ended.
Why does the solver show more than one solution?
Different word sequences can reach the target in the same minimum number of moves. The solver counts all shortest paths and displays up to 20 of them. Longer routes are valid gameplay, but are not listed as shortest solutions.
Troubleshooting
My keyboard is not responding. What should I try?
Close any open menu or dialog, return to the game and click the board. You can use the on-screen keys too. Completed games are locked; use View result or switch to Unlimited to keep playing.
How can I report an issue?
Use Support with the puzzle number, your last accepted word, the attempted word and what happened. Include your browser if the issue is visual. An email address is optional; leave one only if you would like a reply.