The rare daily word game sweeping the globe. Find what's hidden in plain sight.
HOBNAIL
Definition of HOBNAIL
noun
A short nail with a thick head, typically used in boot soles.
Wiktionary · CC BY-SA
Where it comes from
From hob + nail. The oldest attestation is in William Shakespeare, but he likely did not coin the term.
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.
HOBNAIL in OUTLIER
Players have found it on 10 boards so far. 14 players have found it across Outlier's history.
It first turned up on Day 37, 26 June 2026. The most recent board was Day 109, 6 September 2026. Nobody has seen it on a board for 2 days.
First ever to find it
on Day 37, 26 June 2026 - before anyone else in Outlier's history. See the Pioneers
Built from these letters
HOBNAIL starts with H and ends with L. Sorted, its letters read ABHILNO - the shape to hunt for when the grid is scrambled. No letter is used twice, which makes it an isogram.
Words that start HOBNAI
Its neighbours in the OUTLIER dictionary - shortest first.
Also seen on Day 37
Could you have found HOBNAIL?
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 37 - and most players walked straight past it.
Play today's OUTLIER