The rare daily word game sweeping the globe. Find what's hidden in plain sight.
PAEAN
Definition of PAEAN
noun
A chant or song, especially a hymn of thanksgiving for deliverance or victory, to Apollo or sometimes another god or goddess; hence any song sung to solicit victory in battle.
Wiktionary · CC BY-SA
Where it comes from
From Latin paeān (“a hymn, especially a victory hymn, to Apollo or another god”), from Ancient Greek παιᾱ́ν (paiā́n, “a chant or song, especially a thanksgiving or victory hymn, to Apollo under the name Παιᾱ́ν (Paiā́n)”), from the phrase Ἰὼ Παιᾱ́ν (Iṑ Paiā́n, “O Paean!, Thanks to Paean!”). According to Homer, Paián or Paean was the name of the physician of the gods; its further etymology is unclear. It has been suggested that Παιᾱ́ν is derived from *παιάϝων (*paiáwōn, “one who heals illnesses through magic”), from *παῖϝα (*paîwa), *παϝία (*pawía, “to blow”), related to παίω (paíō, “to hit, strike”) (from Proto-Indo-European *pēu-, *pyu-, *pū- (“to hit; to cut”)), or from παύω (paúō, “to bring to an end; to abate, to stop”) (from Proto-Indo-European *peh₂w- (“few, little; smallness”)), or that it may be a Pre-Greek word. Compare Middle French and French pæan (also French péan), Italian peana, Portuguese peã, péan.
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.
PAEAN in OUTLIER
Players have found it on 36 boards so far. 105 players have found it across Outlier's history.
It first turned up on Day 26, 15 June 2026. The most recent board was Day 109, 6 September 2026. It was on the latest finished board.
First ever to find it
on Day 26, 15 June 2026 - before anyone else in Outlier's history. See the Pioneers
Built from these letters
PAEAN starts with P and ends with N. Sorted, its letters read AAENP - the shape to hunt for when the grid is scrambled. A 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 PAEAN
Its neighbours in the OUTLIER dictionary - shortest first.
Also seen on Day 26
Could you have found PAEAN?
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 26 - and most players walked straight past it.
Play today's OUTLIER