The rare daily word game sweeping the globe. Find what's hidden in plain sight.
ESPIONAGE
Definition of ESPIONAGE
noun
The act or process of learning secret information through clandestine means.
Wiktionary · CC BY-SA
Where it comes from
Recorded since 1793, from French espionnage, from espionner (“to spy”), from Middle French espionner (“to spy”), from espion (“spy”), from Old French espion (“spy”), from Frankish *spehō (“spy”), from Frankish *spehōn (“to spy”), from Proto-Germanic *spehōną (“to spy, peek, peer”). In modern times, the French pronunciation of the s, which had fallen silent since the 13th century, was restored due to the influence of Italian spione (“spy”), and was therefore also adopted by the English. More at spy.
Etymology via Wiktionary (CC BY-SA).
Word DNA
Line of descent
5 recorded generations before English.
Deepest traced root
10th
of 59 source languages in OUTLIER
1.7%
of traced words share this origin (1,294)
branch · 12.9% of traced words
How it is built
OUTLIER scores every word on how unusual it is, and that number is not published. Working it out at the board is the game.
ESPIONAGE in OUTLIER
Players have found it on 38 boards so far. 83 players have found it across Outlier's history.
It first turned up on Day 26, 15 June 2026. The most recent board was Day 151, 18 October 2026. Nobody has seen it on a board for 4 days.
First ever to find it
on Day 26, 15 June 2026 - before anyone else in Outlier's history. See the Pioneers
Built from these letters
ESPIONAGE starts with E and ends with E. Sorted, its letters read AEEGINOPS - the shape to hunt for when the grid is scrambled. E appears more than once.
Words that start ESPION
Its neighbours in the OUTLIER dictionary - shortest first.
Also seen on Day 26
Could you have found ESPIONAGE?
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 26 - and most players walked straight past it.
Play today's OUTLIER