The rare daily word game sweeping the globe. Find what's hidden in plain sight.
SCRATCH
Definition of SCRATCH
verb
To rub a surface with a sharp object, especially by a living creature to remove itching with nails, claws, etc.
Wiktionary · CC BY-SA
Where it comes from
From Middle English scracchen, of uncertain origin. Potentially a blend of Middle English scratten (“to scratch”) and cracchen (“to scratch”). Ultimately onomatopoeic. More at scrat and cratch. Compare Old English scrama, Old Norse skråma, German Schramme (“scratch”), which may be related.
Etymology via Wiktionary (CC BY-SA).
Word DNA
Line of descent
- Middle English
- English
One recorded step before English.
Deepest traced root
4th
of 58 source languages in OUTLIER
7.6%
of traced words share this origin (2,181)
branch · 22.4% of traced words
How it is built
Same root, SCRATCH · 4 relatives in the game
Its etymology also names German, Old English, Old Norse.
OUTLIER scores every word on how unusual it is, and that number is not published. Working it out at the board is the game.
SCRATCH in OUTLIER
Players have found it on 2 boards so far.
It first turned up on Day 139, 6 October 2026. The most recent board was Day 140, 7 October 2026. Nobody has seen it on a board for 2 days.
First ever to find it
on Day 139, 6 October 2026 - before anyone else in Outlier's history. See the Pioneers
Built from these letters
SCRATCH starts with S and ends with H. Sorted, its letters read ACCHRST - the shape to hunt for when the grid is scrambled. C appears more than once.
Words that start SCRATC
Its neighbours in the OUTLIER dictionary - shortest first.
Could you have found SCRATCH?
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 139 - and most players walked straight past it.
Play today's OUTLIER