The rare daily word game sweeping the globe. Find what's hidden in plain sight.
TONIC
Definition of TONIC
adjective
Pertaining to tension, especially of the muscles.
Wiktionary · CC BY-SA
Where it comes from
From Ancient Greek τονικός (tonikós), from τόνος (tónos). 17th century writers believed health to be derived from firmly stretched muscles, thus tonic; the extension of tonic medicine appeared in the late 18th century. By surface analysis, ton(e) + -ic.
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 (9,700)
branch · 12.2% of traced words
How it is built
Same root, TONIC · 3 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.
TONIC in OUTLIER
Players have found it on 34 boards so far. 66 players have found it across Outlier's history.
It first turned up on Day 7, 28 May 2026. The most recent board was Day 160, 27 October 2026. It was on the latest finished board.
First found by a player on Day 7, 28 May 2026.
Built from these letters
TONIC starts with T and ends with C. Sorted, its letters read CINOT - the shape to hunt for when the grid is scrambled. No letter is used twice, which makes it an isogram.
Same letters, different word
One other word uses exactly these letters. Worth knowing at the board: an anagram fits a grid the same way.
Words that start TONIC
Its neighbours in the OUTLIER dictionary - shortest first.
Also seen on Day 7
Could you have found TONIC?
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