The rare daily word game sweeping the globe. Find what's hidden in plain sight.
PENCIL
Definition of PENCIL
noun
A writing utensil with a graphite (commonly referred to as lead) shaft, usually blended with clay, clad in wood, and sharpened to a taper.
Wiktionary · CC BY-SA
Where it comes from
From Anglo-Norman and Old French pincil (see the variant pincel, which gave rise to Modern French pinceau (“paintbrush”)), from Latin pēnicillum, diminutive of pēniculus (“brush”), itself a diminutive of pēnis (“tail; penis”). Doublet of penis. Not related to pen.
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.
PENCIL in OUTLIER
Players have found it on 13 boards so far. 23 players have found it across Outlier's history.
It first turned up on Day 8, 29 May 2026. The most recent board was Day 100, 28 August 2026. It was on the latest finished board.
First ever to find it
on Day 8, 29 May 2026 - before anyone else in Outlier's history. See the Pioneers
Built from these letters
PENCIL starts with P and ends with L. Sorted, its letters read CEILNP - the shape to hunt for when the grid is scrambled. No letter is used twice, which makes it an isogram.
Words that start PENCIL
Its neighbours in the OUTLIER dictionary - shortest first.
Also seen on Day 8
Could you have found PENCIL?
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 8 - and most players walked straight past it.
Play today's OUTLIER