The rare daily word game sweeping the globe. Find what's hidden in plain sight.
HARLEQUIN
Definition of HARLEQUIN
noun
A pantomime fool, typically dressed in colorful checkered clothes, used as a stock character in commedia dell'arte and other genres.
Wiktionary · CC BY-SA
Where it comes from
From earlier Harlicken, from Middle French Harlequin (in Italian Arlecchino, the name of a popular servant character in commedia dell'arte plays), from Old French Harlequin, Halequin, Herlequin, Hellequin, Hierlekin, Hellekin (a demon, malevolent spirit), probably of Germanic origin, connected to the Old English figure of *Herla Cyning (“King Herla”, a mythical figure identified with Woden) or possibly to Old Frisian helle kin, Old English helle cyn, Old Norse heljar kyn (“the kindred of Hell”). Related to Middle English Hurlewain (“a mischievous sprite or goblin”).
Etymology via Wiktionary (CC BY-SA).
OUTLIER scores every word on how unusual it is, and that number is not published. Working it out at the board is the game.
HARLEQUIN in OUTLIER
Players have found it on 9 boards so far. 31 players have found it across Outlier's history.
It first turned up on Day 40, 29 June 2026. The most recent board was Day 101, 29 August 2026. Nobody has seen it on a board for 1 day.
First ever to find it
on Day 40, 29 June 2026 - before anyone else in Outlier's history. See the Pioneers
Built from these letters
HARLEQUIN starts with H and ends with N. Sorted, its letters read AEHILNQRU - the shape to hunt for when the grid is scrambled. No letter is used twice, which makes it an isogram. It uses Q - among the least common letters in written English.
Words that start HARLEQ
Its neighbours in the OUTLIER dictionary - shortest first.
Also seen on Day 40
Could you have found HARLEQUIN?
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 40 - and most players walked straight past it.
Play today's OUTLIER