The rare daily word game sweeping the globe. Find what's hidden in plain sight.
OVERSHADOW
Definition of OVERSHADOW
verb
To obscure something by casting a shadow.
Wiktionary · CC BY-SA
Where it comes from
From Middle English overschadwen, overschadewe, from Old English ofersċeadwian (“to overshadow”), equivalent to over- + shadow. Compare with West Frisian oerskaduwe (“to overshadow”), Dutch overschaduwen (“to overshadow”), German überschatten (“to overshadow”), Gothic 𐌿𐍆𐌰𐍂𐍃𐌺𐌰𐌳𐍅𐌾𐌰𐌽 (ufarskadwjan, “to overshadow”), and more distantly, Old Norse yfirskyggja (“to overshadow”), Danish overskygge (“to overshadow”), Swedish överskugga (“to overshadow”), Old English ofersċūwan (“to overshadow”).
Etymology via Wiktionary (CC BY-SA).
Word DNA
Line of descent
- Old English
- Middle English
- English
2 recorded generations before English.
Deepest traced root
6th
of 59 source languages in OUTLIER
4.1%
of traced words share this origin (1,226)
branch · 22.3% of traced words
How it is built
Same root, OVERSHADOW · 2 relatives in the game
Its etymology also names Danish, Dutch, German, Old Norse, Swedish.
OUTLIER scores every word on how unusual it is, and that number is not published. Working it out at the board is the game.
OVERSHADOW in OUTLIER
Players have found it on 17 boards so far. 20 players have found it across Outlier's history.
It first turned up on Day 43, 2 July 2026. The most recent board was Day 149, 16 October 2026. Nobody has seen it on a board for 1 day.
First ever to find it
on Day 43, 2 July 2026 - before anyone else in Outlier's history. See the Pioneers
Built from these letters
OVERSHADOW starts with O and ends with W. Sorted, its letters read ADEHOORSVW - the shape to hunt for when the grid is scrambled. O appears more than once.
Words that start OVERSH
Its neighbours in the OUTLIER dictionary - shortest first.
Also seen on Day 43
Could you have found OVERSHADOW?
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 43 - and most players walked straight past it.
Play today's OUTLIER