The rare daily word game sweeping the globe. Find what's hidden in plain sight.
FORMICATION
Definition of FORMICATION
noun
An abnormal skin sensation similar to that of insects crawling over or within the skin; a tactile hallucination involving such a sensation. A common side-effect of substance abuse, it can also be experienced with high fever, menopause, skin cancer, diabetic neuropathy, or herpes zoster.
Wiktionary · CC BY-SA
Where it comes from
Circa 1700, from Latin formīca (“ant”) + -tion.
Etymology via Wiktionary (CC BY-SA).
Word DNA
Line of descent
- Latin
- English
One recorded step before English.
Deepest traced root
1st
of 59 source languages in OUTLIER
33%
of traced words share this origin (9,764)
branch · 33% 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.
FORMICATION in OUTLIER
Players have found it on 14 boards so far. 20 players have found it across Outlier's history.
It first turned up on Day 27, 16 June 2026. The most recent board was Day 143, 10 October 2026. Nobody has seen it on a board for 8 days.
First ever to find it
on Day 27, 16 June 2026 - before anyone else in Outlier's history. See the Pioneers
Built from these letters
FORMICATION starts with F and ends with N. Sorted, its letters read ACFIIMNOORT - the shape to hunt for when the grid is scrambled. O and I appear more than once.
Words that start FORMICA
Its neighbours in the OUTLIER dictionary - shortest first.
Also seen on Day 27
Could you have found FORMICATION?
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 27 - and most players walked straight past it.
Play today's OUTLIER