The rare daily word game sweeping the globe. Find what's hidden in plain sight.
MELISMA
Definition of MELISMA
noun
A passage of several notes sung to one syllable of text.
Wiktionary · CC BY-SA
Where it comes from
From Ancient Greek μέλισμα (mélisma, “song”), from μελίζω (melízō, “(I) sing, modulate; (I) celebrate in song”), from μέλος (mélos, “song, tune, melody; limb, part; member”).
Etymology via Wiktionary (CC BY-SA).
Word DNA
Line of descent
- Ancient Greek
- English
One recorded step before English.
Deepest traced root
3rd
of 59 source languages in OUTLIER
12.4%
of traced words share this origin (10,302)
branch · 12.4% of traced words
How it is built
Same root, MELISMA · 1 relative in the game
OUTLIER scores every word on how unusual it is, and that number is not published. Working it out at the board is the game.
MELISMA in OUTLIER
Players have found it on 3 boards so far. 13 players have found it across Outlier's history.
It first turned up on Day 161, 28 October 2026. The most recent board was Day 167, 3 November 2026. It was on the latest finished board.
First ever to find it
on Day 161, 28 October 2026 - before anyone else in Outlier's history. See the Pioneers
Built from these letters
MELISMA starts with M and ends with A. Sorted, its letters read AEILMMS - the shape to hunt for when the grid is scrambled. M appears more than once.
Same letters, different word
One other word uses exactly these letters. Worth knowing at the board: an anagram fits a grid the same way.
Words that start MELISM
Its neighbours in the OUTLIER dictionary - shortest first.
Could you have found MELISMA?
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 161 - and most players walked straight past it.
Play today's OUTLIER