NINJA

Meaning

An adult male human.

“The show is especially popular with middle-aged men.”

• nounA person trained in ninjutsu, especially one used for espionage, assassination, and other tasks requiring stealth during Japan's shogunate period.
• verbTo act or move like a ninja, particularly with regard to a combination of speed, power, and stealth.
• adjectiveOf or related to ninjas in their various senses.

NINJA as a word-puzzle answer

NINJA is a 5-letter word with 2 vowels (I, A) and 3 consonants (N, N, J). It repeats 1 letter, which is a classic trap — guessers who assume five distinct letters get stuck.

It leans on high-frequency letters (N, I, A), so a strong vowel-and-common-consonant opener tends to light up quickly. Watch for the less-common letter J — saving a guess to test it once the vowels are placed is usually the fastest route.

NINJA by the numbers

Across the 2,412 curated answers in the Wordocious bank, A appears in 40% of answers (the 2nd most common letter), I appears in 28% of answers (the 6th most common letter), N appears in 24% of answers (the 9th most common letter). 8 other answers share the opening “NI-”, so two green tiles up front still leave real guessing to do.

Difficulty: 3/5 — moderate, because the repeated letter hides one position, and it uses at least one genuinely rare letter.

Put it to use

Words like NINJA 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.