DECAY

Meaning

The process or result of being gradually decomposed.

• verbTo deteriorate, to get worse, to lose strength or health, to decline in quality.

DECAY as a word-puzzle answer

DECAY is a 5-letter word with 2 vowels (E, A) and 3 consonants (D, C, Y). Every letter is distinct, so it rarely punishes a clean opening guess.

It leans on high-frequency letters (E, A), 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.