The rare daily word game sweeping the globe. Find what's hidden in plain sight.
PHOBIA
Definition of PHOBIA
noun
An irrational, abnormal, or obsessive fear (of something).
Wiktionary · CC BY-SA
Where it comes from
First attested in c. 1790, from words ending in -phobia, ultimately from Ancient Greek φόβος (phóbos, “fear”). Compare ism, from -ism, itis, from -itis, and ana, from -ana.
Etymology via Wiktionary (CC BY-SA).
Word DNA
Line of descent
- Ancient Greek
- English
One recorded step before English.
Deepest traced root
3rd
of 59 source languages in OUTLIER
12.2%
of traced words share this origin (9,569)
branch · 12.2% of traced words
How it is built
Same root, PHOBIA · 7 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.
PHOBIA in OUTLIER
Players have found it on 51 boards so far. 240 players have found it across Outlier's history.
It first turned up on Day 7, 28 May 2026. The most recent board was Day 157, 24 October 2026. Nobody has seen it on a board for 2 days.
First found by a player on Day 7, 28 May 2026.
Built from these letters
PHOBIA starts with P and ends with A. Sorted, its letters read ABHIOP - the shape to hunt for when the grid is scrambled. No letter is used twice, which makes it an isogram.
Words that start PHOBIA
Its neighbours in the OUTLIER dictionary - shortest first.
Also seen on Day 7
Could you have found PHOBIA?
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 7 - and most players walked straight past it.
Play today's OUTLIER