Today’s opener SALET came up mostly empty — three blanks and a misplaced E, telling us the answer contains E but not in the fourth slot. REINE was the natural follow-up to probe more vowel placements, and it locked in the final E in position five with a green.

BOGUE was the strategic pivot: B and E confirmed green, while U and G came back yellow — in the word but shuffled. With all five letters identified and only their positions in question, BUDGE was the only arrangement that fit, and it landed clean.

Four guesses, no drama. BUDGE yields without much of a fight once you know its letters.