The rare daily word game sweeping the globe. Find what's hidden in plain sight.
ILLUMINE
Definition of ILLUMINE
verb
Synonym of illuminate. To shine light on (something). To cause (something) to glow or shine with light. To enlighten (someone) spiritually; to induce (someone) to adopt, or believe in the truth of, a religion, religious tenet, etc. To cause (the eyes) to see. To cause (a person or their face) to show enlightenment, happiness, etc. To enlighten (someone) intellectually. To decorate (a page of a manuscript book) with ornamental designs. To become bright; to light up. To enlighten intellectually. Of a person or their face: to show enlightenment, happiness, etc.
Wiktionary · CC BY-SA
Where it comes from
From Middle English illuminen (“to light, light up; to shine; (figuratively) to enlighten spiritually; to make illustrious”) [and other forms], from Old French illuminer (“to light up, illuminate; (figuratively) to enlighten”) (modern French illuminer), from Latin illūmināre, the present active infinitive of illūminō (“to light up, illuminate; to brighten; to adorn; to make conspicuous”), from il- (variant of in- (prefix meaning ‘in, within’; intensifying prefix)) + lūminō (“to illuminate; to brighten; (figuratively) to reveal”) (from lūmen (“light; light source; (poetic) brightness; daylight”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *lewk- (“to shine; to see; bright”)) + -ō (suffix forming regular first-conjugation verbs)).
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.
ILLUMINE in OUTLIER
Players have found it on 1 board so far.
It first turned up on Day 117, 14 September 2026. Nobody has seen it on a board for 3 days.
First ever to find it
on Day 117, 14 September 2026 - before anyone else in Outlier's history. See the Pioneers
Built from these letters
ILLUMINE starts with I and ends with E. Sorted, its letters read EIILLMNU - the shape to hunt for when the grid is scrambled. I and L appear more than once, including a double letter.
Words that start ILLUMI
Its neighbours in the OUTLIER dictionary - shortest first.
Could you have found ILLUMINE?
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 117 - and most players walked straight past it.
Play today's OUTLIER