The rare daily word game sweeping the globe. Find what's hidden in plain sight.
NONCE
Definition of NONCE
noun
The one or single occasion; the present reason or purpose.
Wiktionary · CC BY-SA
Where it comes from
Inherited from Middle English nonse, nones, a rebracketing of Middle English to þen anes, for þen anes (to/for the once (i.e., the one occasion or instance)), from the dative singular neuter of þe. The cryptography sense is commonly said to be a contraction of number used once, although this is probably incorrect.
Etymology via Wiktionary (CC BY-SA).
Word DNA
Line of descent
- Middle English
- English
One recorded step before English.
Deepest traced root
4th
of 58 source languages in OUTLIER
7.6%
of traced words share this origin (2,182)
branch · 22.4% of traced words
How it is built
Same root, NONCE · 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.
NONCE in OUTLIER
Players have found it on 2 boards so far. 11 players have found it across Outlier's history.
It first turned up on Day 139, 6 October 2026. The most recent board was Day 140, 7 October 2026. Nobody has seen it on a board for 3 days.
First ever to find it
on Day 139, 6 October 2026 - before anyone else in Outlier's history. See the Pioneers
Built from these letters
NONCE starts with N and ends with E. Sorted, its letters read CENNO - the shape to hunt for when the grid is scrambled. N 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 NONCE
Its neighbours in the OUTLIER dictionary - shortest first.
Could you have found NONCE?
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 139 - and most players walked straight past it.
Play today's OUTLIER