The rare daily word game sweeping the globe. Find what's hidden in plain sight.
BACKSTAY
Definition of BACKSTAY
noun
A part of the rigging of a sailing ship extending from the top of the mast (masthead) to the back of the ship; they support the strain on all upper masts and provide additional support to the shrouds when the wind is abaft the beam.
Wiktionary · CC BY-SA
Where it comes from
From back + stay.
Etymology via Wiktionary (CC BY-SA).
OUTLIER scores every word on how unusual it is, and that number is not published. Working it out at the board is the game.
BACKSTAY in OUTLIER
Players have found it on 2 boards so far.
It first turned up on Day 105, 2 September 2026. The most recent board was Day 110, 7 September 2026. Nobody has seen it on a board for 3 days.
First ever to find it
on Day 105, 2 September 2026 - before anyone else in Outlier's history. See the Pioneers
Built from these letters
BACKSTAY starts with B and ends with Y. Sorted, its letters read AABCKSTY - the shape to hunt for when the grid is scrambled. A appears more than once.
Words that start BACKST
Its neighbours in the OUTLIER dictionary - shortest first.
Could you have found BACKSTAY?
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 105 - and most players walked straight past it.
Play today's OUTLIER