The rare daily word game sweeping the globe. Find what's hidden in plain sight.
PHENYL
Definition of PHENYL
noun
A univalent hydrocarbon radical, C6H5 (benzene minus one hydrogen atom), and the basis of an immense number of aromatic derivatives.
Wiktionary · CC BY-SA
Where it comes from
Borrowed from French phényle, derived from the root of Ancient Greek φαίνω (phaínō, “to shine”) plus ὕλη (húlē, “wood; material, substance”). Equivalent to phen- + -yl.
Etymology via Wiktionary (CC BY-SA).
Word DNA
Line of descent
- Ancient Greek
- French
- English
2 recorded generations before English.
Deepest traced root
3rd
of 59 source languages in OUTLIER
12.2%
of traced words share this origin (9,501)
branch · 12.2% of traced words
How it is built
Same root, PHENYL · 2 relatives 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.
PHENYL in OUTLIER
Players have found it on 32 boards so far. 74 players have found it across Outlier's history.
It first turned up on Day 24, 13 June 2026. The most recent board was Day 156, 23 October 2026. Nobody has seen it on a board for 1 day.
First ever to find it
on Day 24, 13 June 2026 - before anyone else in Outlier's history. See the Pioneers
Built from these letters
PHENYL starts with P and ends with L. Sorted, its letters read EHLNPY - the shape to hunt for when the grid is scrambled. No letter is used twice, which makes it an isogram.
Words that start PHENYL
Its neighbours in the OUTLIER dictionary - shortest first.
Also seen on Day 24
Could you have found PHENYL?
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 24 - and most players walked straight past it.
Play today's OUTLIER