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WHET
Definition of WHET
verb
To sharpen (something, such as a knife or sword) by rubbing on an object, especially a whetstone; to hone.
Wiktionary · CC BY-SA
Where it comes from
The verb is derived from Middle English whetten (“to make the edge of (a sword, tool, etc.) sharp; to grunt, snort; to scrape the ground with (one’s feet); to make a chattering or grinding sound; (figurative) of a person: to prepare for battle; to make (one’s wit) alert or keen; to strengthen (one’s heart or will); to incite, provoke”), from Old English hwettan (“to sharpen, whet; (figurative) to encourage, incite”), from Proto-West Germanic *hwattjan (“to sharpen, whet”), from Proto-Germanic *hwatjaną (“to sharpen, whet; (figurative) to incite, instigate”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kʷeh₁d- (“sharp”). Verb sense 1.3.3 (“to inculcate or teach (habits, information, etc.)”) is from Deuteronomy 6:6–7 in the Bible (New International Version): “These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children.” The word translated as impress is Hebrew שָׁנַן (shanán, “to be sharp; to sharpen, whet”). The noun is derived from the verb.
Etymology via Wiktionary (CC BY-SA).
OUTLIER scores every word on how unusual it is, and that number is not published. Working it out at the board is the game.
WHET in OUTLIER
Players have found it on 41 boards so far. 85 players have found it across Outlier's history.
It first turned up on Day 21, 10 June 2026. The most recent board was Day 102, 30 August 2026. It was on the latest finished board.
First found by a player on Day 21, 10 June 2026.
Built from these letters
WHET starts with W and ends with T. Sorted, its letters read EHTW - 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 WHET
Its neighbours in the OUTLIER dictionary - shortest first.
Also seen on Day 21
Could you have found WHET?
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 21 - and most players walked straight past it.
Play today's OUTLIER