The rare daily word game sweeping the globe. Find what's hidden in plain sight.
THUMBSCREW
Definition of THUMBSCREW
noun
A screw that is designed to be turned with the thumb and fingers, thus requiring no screwdriver or spanner (wrench).
Wiktionary · CC BY-SA
Where it comes from
From thumb + screw.
Etymology via Wiktionary (CC BY-SA).
Word DNA
How it is built
Same root, THUMBSCREW · 1 relative 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.
THUMBSCREW in OUTLIER
Players have found it on 23 boards so far. 27 players have found it across Outlier's history.
It first turned up on Day 52, 11 July 2026. The most recent board was Day 144, 11 October 2026. Nobody has seen it on a board for 9 days.
First ever to find it
on Day 52, 11 July 2026 - before anyone else in Outlier's history. See the Pioneers
Built from these letters
THUMBSCREW starts with T and ends with W. Sorted, its letters read BCEHMRSTUW - the shape to hunt for when the grid is scrambled. No letter is used twice, which makes it an isogram.
Words that start THUMBS
Its neighbours in the OUTLIER dictionary - shortest first.
Also seen on Day 52
Could you have found THUMBSCREW?
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 52 - and most players walked straight past it.
Play today's OUTLIER