The rare daily word game sweeping the globe. Find what's hidden in plain sight.
CYNOSURE
Definition of CYNOSURE
noun
Alternative letter-case form of Cynosure: Ursa Minor or Polaris, the North Star, used as a guide by navigators.
Wiktionary · CC BY-SA
Other senses
CYNOSURE carries 4 further meanings.
noun
An object that serves as a focal point of attention and admiration.
noun
Something that serves to guide.
noun
Something that strongly attracts attention; a center of attraction.
noun
The constellation of the Lesser Bear (Ursa Minor), to which, as containing the polar star, the eyes of mariners and travelers were often directed.
Where it comes from
From Middle French Cynosure (“Ursa Minor; Polaris”), from Latin Cynosūra (“Ursa Minor”), from Ancient Greek Κυνόσουρα (Kunósoura, “Ursa Minor”, literally “dog’s tail”), from κυνός (kunós, “dog's”) + οὐρά (ourá, “tail”).
Etymology via Wiktionary (CC BY-SA).
Word DNA
Line of descent
3 recorded generations before English.
Deepest traced root
3rd
of 59 source languages in OUTLIER
12.2%
of traced words share this origin (9,477)
branch · 12.2% of traced words
How it is built
Same root, CYNOSURE · 2 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.
CYNOSURE in OUTLIER
Players have found it on 54 boards so far. 133 players have found it across Outlier's history.
It first turned up on Day 40, 29 June 2026. The most recent board was Day 150, 17 October 2026. Nobody has seen it on a board for 6 days.
First ever to find it
on Day 41, 30 June 2026 - before anyone else in Outlier's history. See the Pioneers
Built from these letters
CYNOSURE starts with C and ends with E. Sorted, its letters read CENORSUY - the shape to hunt for when the grid is scrambled. No letter is used twice, which makes it an isogram.
Words that mean much the same
Near-synonyms of CYNOSURE. Not interchangeable at the board - the grid decides that - but close in meaning.
Also seen on Day 40
Could you have found CYNOSURE?
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 40 - and most players walked straight past it.
Play today's OUTLIER