Word of the Day · Tuesday, February 10, 2026
/ˈɹaɪpən/verb
To grow ripe; to become mature (said of grain, fruit, flowers etc.)
“Grapes ripen in the sun.”
RIPEN is a 5-letter word with 2 vowels (I, E) and 3 consonants (R, P, N). Every letter is distinct, so it rarely punishes a clean opening guess.
It leans on high-frequency letters (R, I, E, N), 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.