New Delhi, Aug. 12 -- WEIGHTY. There are 28 valid words to find.

something described as weighty carries authority, consequence, or physical mass. It lands near the end of most solves because the W and Y combination requires working through the less common outer letters before the seven-letter structure clicks. Solvers who find the 6-letter WEIGHT first will often reach WEIGHTY within a few guesses from there.

The longer non-pangram entries reward patience. EIGHTIETH (9 letters) is the longest word in today's grid, the ordinal form of eighty, rarely encountered outside formal or ceremonial contexts, which makes it satisfying to uncover. EYETEETH (8 letters), the plural of eyetooth or canine tooth, requires recognizing the EYE prefix and ...