CHECK

Meaning

A situation in which the king is directly threatened by an opposing piece.

CHECK as a word-puzzle answer

CHECK is a 5-letter word with 1 vowel (E) and 4 consonants (C, H, C, K). It repeats 1 letter, which is a classic trap — guessers who assume five distinct letters get stuck.

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