The rare daily word game sweeping the globe. Find what's hidden in plain sight.
PHENAKISM
Definition of PHENAKISM
noun
deception; trickery.
Wiktionary · CC BY-SA
Where it comes from
From Ancient Greek φενακιστής (phenakistḗs, “cheat, imposter”).
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.
PHENAKISM in OUTLIER
Players have found it on 4 boards so far.
It first turned up on Day 50, 9 July 2026. The most recent board was Day 105, 2 September 2026. Nobody has seen it on a board for 15 days.
First ever to find it
on Day 50, 9 July 2026 - before anyone else in Outlier's history. See the Pioneers
Built from these letters
PHENAKISM starts with P and ends with M. Sorted, its letters read AEHIKMNPS - the shape to hunt for when the grid is scrambled. No letter is used twice, which makes it an isogram.
Words that start PHENAK
Its neighbours in the OUTLIER dictionary - shortest first.
Also seen on Day 50
Could you have found PHENAKISM?
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 50 - and most players walked straight past it.
Play today's OUTLIER