A nudge before the answer
Keep the four letter positions fixed. Change exactly one letter to make another accepted word; rearranging letters is not a legal step. Compare several neighbours before choosing a path.
Work towards a final neighbour
POOL, POOR, HOOP, LOOP, COOP and PROP are each one change from POOP. Try to connect your start to one of them. Matching a target letter immediately can lead to a dead end, so allow a temporary detour.
Reveal only the first move for #453
ICES → IDES. Try finding the remaining 8 changes yourself.
Still stuck?
Solve Poople from the word you have reached, or reveal the complete Poople answer today. For an older start, use the Poople archive.
The dated hint uses the bundled Poople word graph and the 08:00 UTC puzzle clock. Check the start word against the official board if its word list changes.