SOLID

Meaning

A substance in the fundamental state of matter that retains its size and shape without need of a container (as opposed to a liquid or gas).

• adjective(of an object or substance) That can be picked up or held, having a texture, and usually firm. Unlike a liquid or a gas.
• adverbSolidly.

SOLID as a word-puzzle answer

SOLID is a 5-letter word with 2 vowels (O, I) and 3 consonants (S, L, D). Every letter is distinct, so it rarely punishes a clean opening guess.

It leans on high-frequency letters (S, O, I), so a strong vowel-and-common-consonant opener tends to light up quickly. There are no rare letters here, so it is a fair, mid-difficulty answer for the daily Classic puzzle.

SOLID by the numbers

Across the 1,734 curated answers in the Wordocious bank, O appears in 30% of answers (the 5th most common letter), I appears in 29% of answers (the 6th most common letter), S appears in 28% of answers (the 7th most common letter). 9 other answers share the opening “SO-”, so two green tiles up front still leave real guessing to do.

Difficulty: 1/5 — very approachable, because its letters are common and no close neighbors compete with it.

Put it to use

Words like SOLID are exactly what the daily puzzles throw at you. Warm up in Practice, race the clock in the Daily Challenge, or study the best starting words before your next run. New to the multi-board modes? The mode guides cover all nine.