The rare daily word game sweeping the globe. Find what's hidden in plain sight.
CATION
Definition of CATION
noun
A positively charged ion: one that would be attracted to the cathode in electrolysis.
Wiktionary · CC BY-SA
Where it comes from
Learned borrowing from Ancient Greek κᾰτῐόν (kătĭón), neuter present participle of κᾰ́τειμῐ (kắteimĭ, “to go down, come down”), from κᾰτᾰ- (kătă-, “downwards, down, cata-”) + εἶμῐ (eîmĭ, “to go, come”). Coined by English polymath William Whewell in 1834 for Michael Faraday, who introduced it later that year. By surface analysis, cat(a)- + ion.
Etymology via Wiktionary (CC BY-SA).
Word DNA
Line of descent
- Ancient Greek
- English
One recorded step before English.
Deepest traced root
2nd
of 58 source languages in OUTLIER
12.6%
of traced words share this origin (3,617)
branch · 12.6% of traced words
How it is built
Same root, CATION · 1 relative 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.
CATION in OUTLIER
Players have found it on 55 boards so far. 174 players have found it across Outlier's history.
It first turned up on Day 14, 3 June 2026. The most recent board was Day 142, 9 October 2026. Nobody has seen it on a board for 1 day.
First ever to find it
on Day 14, 3 June 2026 - before anyone else in Outlier's history. See the Pioneers
Built from these letters
CATION starts with C and ends with N. Sorted, its letters read ACINOT - 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.
Words that start CATION
Its neighbours in the OUTLIER dictionary - shortest first.
Also seen on Day 14
Could you have found CATION?
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 14 - and most players walked straight past it.
Play today's OUTLIER