The rare daily word game sweeping the globe. Find what's hidden in plain sight.
GROTESQUE
Definition of GROTESQUE
adjective
Distorted and unnatural in shape or size; abnormal, especially in a hideous way.
Wiktionary · CC BY-SA
Where it comes from
Borrowed from Middle French grotesque, from Italian grottesco, from grotta (“cave”) + -esco (relational suffix). By surface analysis, grotto + -esque. Compare French grotesque, English grotto.
Etymology via Wiktionary (CC BY-SA).
Word DNA
Line of descent
- Italian
- Middle French
- English
2 recorded generations before English.
Deepest traced root
10th
of 58 source languages in OUTLIER
1.9%
of traced words share this origin (564)
branch · 15.4% 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.
GROTESQUE in OUTLIER
Players have found it on 13 boards so far. 130 players have found it across Outlier's history.
It first turned up on Day 12, 1 June 2026. The most recent board was Day 126, 23 September 2026. Nobody has seen it on a board for 20 days.
First ever to find it
on Day 12, 1 June 2026 - before anyone else in Outlier's history. See the Pioneers
Built from these letters
GROTESQUE starts with G and ends with E. Sorted, its letters read EEGOQRSTU - the shape to hunt for when the grid is scrambled. E appears more than once. It uses Q - among the least common letters in written English.
Words that start GROTES
Its neighbours in the OUTLIER dictionary - shortest first.
Also seen on Day 12
Could you have found GROTESQUE?
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 12 - and most players walked straight past it.
Play today's OUTLIER