WRECK

Meaning

Something or someone that has been ruined.

“He was an emotional wreck after the death of his wife.”

• verbTo destroy violently; to cause severe damage to something, to a point where it no longer works, or is useless.

WRECK as a word-puzzle answer

WRECK is a 5-letter word with 1 vowel (E) and 4 consonants (W, R, C, K). Every letter is distinct, so it rarely punishes a clean opening guess.

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