The rare daily word game sweeping the globe. Find what's hidden in plain sight.
ACNE
Definition of ACNE
noun
A skin condition, usually of the face, that is common in adolescents. It is characterised by red pimples, and is caused by the inflammation of sebaceous glands through bacterial infection; acne vulgaris.
Wiktionary · CC BY-SA
Where it comes from
From New Latin acnē, probably a corruption of Ancient Greek ἀκμή (akmḗ, “point, top”).
Etymology via Wiktionary (CC BY-SA).
Word DNA
Line of descent
- Ancient Greek
- Latin
- English
2 recorded generations before English.
Deepest traced root
3rd
of 59 source languages in OUTLIER
12.2%
of traced words share this origin (9,601)
branch · 12.2% of traced words
How it is built
Same root, ACNE · 3 relatives in the game
OUTLIER scores every word on how unusual it is, and that number is not published. Working it out at the board is the game.
ACNE in OUTLIER
Players have found it on 12 boards so far. 182 players have found it across Outlier's history.
It first turned up on Day 25, 14 June 2026. The most recent board was Day 160, 27 October 2026. It was on the latest finished board.
First ever to find it
on Day 25, 14 June 2026 - before anyone else in Outlier's history. See the Pioneers
Built from these letters
ACNE starts with A and ends with E. Sorted, its letters read ACEN - the shape to hunt for when the grid is scrambled. No letter is used twice, which makes it an isogram.
Same letters, different word
2 other words use exactly these letters. Worth knowing at the board: an anagram fits a grid the same way.
Also seen on Day 25
Could you have found ACNE?
OUTLIER is a daily word game. One grid, the same grid for everybody, and the words nobody else spots are the ones that pay. This word was on Day 25 - and most players walked straight past it.
Play today's OUTLIER