Word of the day · Monday, November 9, 2026

umbril

noun

The movable visor of a medieval helmet, which shaded and protected the face. Also spelled umbrel and umbriere.

Where it comes from

From Old French ombriere, shade, from Latin umbra, shadow.

Worth knowing

Latin umbra also gives umbrella, a little shadow, and umbrage, which once meant shade before it meant offense.

By the letters

• 6letters
• 2vowels (A E I O U)
• noneuncommon letters
• 6different letters

Playing it

UMBRIL starts with U, which fewer than 3 in 100 six-letter words do. It is a good home for a U that has nowhere else to go.

Hooks

One letter added to make a new word (what is a hook), in front: TUMBRIL.

One letter away

Words you get by changing a single letter, the steps of a word ladder.

• umbral
• umbrel

In Unsaid

UMBRIL was word of the day number 22 in Unsaid, a falling-letter word game where every player gets the same word on the same date. As a word it scores 900 points. Under the current rules, spelling it as the word of the day is worth a bonus of 9,800 reading down or 7,350 reading across, before any streak. How the bonus works.