The rare daily word game sweeping the globe. Find what's hidden in plain sight.
EPHOR
Definition of EPHOR
noun
One of the five annually-elected senior magistrates in various Dorian states, especially in ancient Sparta, where they oversaw the actions of Spartan kings.
Wiktionary · CC BY-SA
Where it comes from
From Ancient Greek ἔφορος (éphoros, “overseer”), from Homeric ἐπίουρος (epíouros), from ἐπί (epí, “over”) + ὁράω (horáō, “look”).
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 (3,660)
branch · 12.6% of traced words
How it is built
Same root, EPHOR · 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.
EPHOR in OUTLIER
Players have found it on 14 boards so far. 13 players have found it across Outlier's history.
It first turned up on Day 72, 31 July 2026. The most recent board was Day 143, 10 October 2026. Nobody has seen it on a board for 2 days.
First ever to find it
on Day 74, 2 August 2026 - before anyone else in Outlier's history. See the Pioneers
Built from these letters
EPHOR starts with E and ends with R. Sorted, its letters read EHOPR - the shape to hunt for when the grid is scrambled. No letter is used twice, which makes it an isogram.
Same letters, different word
One other word uses exactly these letters. Worth knowing at the board: an anagram fits a grid the same way.
Words that start EPHOR
Its neighbours in the OUTLIER dictionary - shortest first.
Could you have found EPHOR?
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 72 - and most players walked straight past it.
Play today's OUTLIER