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retrograde

adjective · verb

Retrograde commonly means to move backward in an orbit, of celestial bodies, move in a direction contrary to the usual one, or get worse or fall back to a previous condition. Retrograde is also used as adjective, with meanings including going from better to worse.

9 meanings10 lettersScrabble 12

Length

10

Scrabble

12

WWF

13

Starts

RE

Ends

ADE

Difficulty

Hard

Dictionary

What Does “RETROGRADE” Mean?

retrograde has 9 documented senses across adjective, verb.

Adjective

4 senses
1

moving from east to west on the celestial sphere; or — for planets — around the sun in a direction opposite to that of the Earth

2

of amnesia; affecting time immediately preceding trauma

3

going from better to worse

4

moving or directed or tending in a backward direction or contrary to a previous direction

Synonyms

Verb

5 senses
1

move backward in an orbit, of celestial bodies

2

move in a direction contrary to the usual one

retrograding planets

3

move back

The glacier retrogrades

Synonyms

4

go back over

retrograde arguments

Synonyms

5

get worse or fall back to a previous condition

Scrabble Score

12

Letters

10

Vowels

4

Consonants

6

Word Intelligence

Explore the word retrograde with its definition, score, letter pattern, and useful word game details.

Definition

moving from east to west on the celestial sphere; or — for planets — around the sun in a direction opposite to that of the Earth

Length

10 letters

Starts With

R

Ends With

E

Vowels

4

Consonants

6

Letters

R, E, T, R, O, G, R, A, D, E

Use Case

Useful for Scrabble, Wordle, crosswords, anagrams, and other word games.

Letter Breakdown

r
e
t
r
o
g
r
a
d
e

Word Facts

Key letter, score, and pattern facts for retrograde.

RETROGRADE is a 10-letter word.
It has a Scrabble score of 12.
It starts with R and ends with E.
It contains 4 vowels and 6 consonants.
Its vowel share is about 40%.
It has 3 repeated letters.
It is not a palindrome.
Letter pattern: ABCADEAFGB.
Vowel/consonant pattern: CVCCVCCVCV.

Word Strategy

Strategy notes for using retrograde in Scrabble, Wordle-style games, crosswords, and anagram solving.

Scrabble Strategy

★★★★☆

RETROGRADE has a Scrabble score of 12. It is useful for balancing a rack and building steady board position.

Wordle Strategy

★★☆☆☆

RETROGRADE is not five letters, so it is not a standard Wordle answer, but its letter pattern can still help with word analysis.

Crossword Strategy

★★★☆☆

RETROGRADE can be useful in crossword solving because it has a clear starting letter, ending letter, and 10-letter structure.

Anagram Strategy

★★★☆☆

RETROGRADE contains repeated letters, which can make anagram solving more constrained but also easier to pattern-match.

Letter Intelligence

A deeper look at the letter structure, patterns, and useful game signals inside retrograde.

Unique Letters

7

Repeated Letters

3

Highest Value Letter

G

Letter Pattern

ABCADEAFGB

CV Pattern

CVCCVCCVCV

Vowel Share

40%

Consonant Share

60%

Bigrams

RE, ET, TR, RO, OG, GR, RA, AD, DE

Trigrams

RET, ETR, TRO, ROG, OGR, GRA, RAD, ADE

Crossword Intelligence

Crossword-style clues, crossing help, and pattern notes for retrograde.

RETROGRADE is a 10-letter longer themed answer.
It starts with R and ends with E, which helps narrow crossword crossings.
It contains 4 vowels and 6 consonants.
Its vowel/consonant pattern is CVCCVCCVCV.
Crossword difficulty estimate: Hard.

Related Words

Word Usage Insights

Practical observations about how this word performs in different word games and puzzle situations.

This word contains 10 letters and is suitable for medium-length word games.
Its consonant/vowel pattern is CVCCVCCVCV, making it relatively challenging to recognize.
With a Scrabble score of 12, it offers strong scoring potential.
The word begins with R and ends with E, making it useful for solving pattern-based puzzles.
Some letters repeat, which can be useful when identifying anagrams.

Word Intelligence Links

Explore word lists connected to RETROGRADE by length, score, vowels, consonants, starting letters, ending letters, and word game tools.

Word Family

Explore words that share a similar beginning or root pattern with retrograde.

Related Word Tools

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