The rare daily word game sweeping the globe. Find what's hidden in plain sight.
DESOLATE
Definition of DESOLATE
adjective
Deserted and devoid of inhabitants.
Wiktionary · CC BY-SA
Where it comes from
From Middle English desolat(e). See Etymology 2 and -ate (adjective-forming suffix) for more.
Etymology via Wiktionary (CC BY-SA).
Word DNA
Line of descent
- Middle English
- English
One recorded step before English.
Deepest traced root
4th
of 59 source languages in OUTLIER
6.1%
of traced words share this origin (4,799)
branch · 22.6% of traced words
How it is built
Same root, DESOLATE · 5 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.
DESOLATE in OUTLIER
Players have found it on 31 boards so far. 45 players have found it across Outlier's history.
It first turned up on Day 18, 7 June 2026. The most recent board was Day 145, 12 October 2026. Nobody has seen it on a board for 12 days.
First found by a player on Day 18, 7 June 2026.
Built from these letters
DESOLATE starts with D and ends with E. Sorted, its letters read ADEELOST - the shape to hunt for when the grid is scrambled. E appears more than once.
Words that start DESOLA
Its neighbours in the OUTLIER dictionary - shortest first.
Also seen on Day 18
Could you have found DESOLATE?
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 18 - and most players walked straight past it.
Play today's OUTLIER