PUNKY

Meaning

A small two-winged fly or midge of the family Ceratopogonidae, which bites and then sucks the blood of mammals; the biting midge; sandfly.

• nounA fish, Lepomis gibbosus.
• adjectiveOf or pertaining to punk (touchwood) - soft or rotted.

PUNKY as a word-puzzle answer

PUNKY is a 5-letter word with 1 vowel (U) and 4 consonants (P, N, K, Y). Every letter is distinct, so it rarely punishes a clean opening guess.

It leans on high-frequency letters (N), 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.