FILED PURSUANT TO RULE 424(b)(3) AND (c)
                                                         FILE NUMBER 333-47679
      
         FIFTH PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT TO PROSPECTUS DATED MARCH 19, 1998

                                2,425,726 SHARES

                                   LYCOS, INC.

                                  COMMON STOCK



This Fifth Prospectus Supplement (the "Fifth Prospectus Supplement") supplements
the Prospectus dated March 19, 1998  ("Prospectus"),  the Prospectus  Supplement
dated April 6, 1998 ("Prospectus Supplement"),  the Second Prospectus Supplement
dated April 23, 1998  ("Second  Prospectus  Supplement"),  the Third  Prospectus
Supplement  dated  September 15, 1998 ("Third  Prospectus  Supplement"), and the
Fourth  Prospectus  Supplement  dated  January 12, 1999 (the "Fourth  Prospectus
Supplement",  and together with the  Prospectus,  First  Prospectus  Supplement,
Second Prospectus Supplement, and Third Prospectus Supplement, the "Supplemented
Prospectus") of Lycos,  Inc.  ("Lycos" or the "Company")  relating to the public
offering, which is not being underwritten, and sale of up to 2,425,726 shares of
Common Stock, par value $0.01 per share (the "Shares") of the Company, which may
be offered and sold from time to time by certain  stockholders of the Company or
by pledgees,  donees,  transferees or other  successors in interest that receive
such  shares  as a gift,  partnership  distribution  or other  non-sale  related
transfer (the "Selling  Stockholders").  The Company will receive no part of the
proceeds of such sales.

Of the  Shares  offered  under the  Supplemented  Prospectus,  2,225,602  Shares
(post-split)  were originally  issued or reserved for issuance by the Company in
connection with the Company's acquisition of Tripod, Inc. ("Tripod"), a Delaware
corporation,  by and through a merger of a wholly-owned subsidiary of Lycos, Pod
Acquisition Corporation, with and into Tripod (the "Acquisition").  An aggregate
of 274,518 Shares (post-split) issued or reserved for issuance by the Company in
connection with the Acquisition  were placed in escrow (the "Escrow  Shares") to
secure the respective  indemnification  obligations of the Selling Stockholders.
The "Selling  Stockholders" Section of the Supplemented  Prospectus with respect
to certain Selling  Stockholders  is hereby further  supplemented to reflect the
release of the Escrowed  Shares from escrow as of February 11, 1999.  This Fifth
Prospectus  Supplement  should  be read in  conjunction  with  the  Supplemented
Prospectus,  and is qualified by reference to the Supplemented Prospectus except
to the extent that the information  herein contained  supersedes the information
contained in the Supplemented  Prospectus.  Capitalized terms used in this Fifth
Prospectus  Supplement  and not  otherwise  defined  herein  have  the  meanings
specified in the Supplemented Prospectus.











        THE DATE OF THIS FIFTH PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT IS FEBRUARY 16, 1999

                              SELLING STOCKHOLDERS

                  The  table  of  Selling   Stockholders  in  the   Supplemented
Prospectus is hereby amended to reflect the release of the Escrowed  Shares held
in  escrow on  behalf  of  certain  Selling  Stockholders  and  supplemented  to
specifically  include Shares released in such distribution.  The following table
sets  forth  as of  February  16,  1999  the  name of each of the  entities  and
individuals who received Shares through the distribution effected by the release
of  Escrowed  Shares,  the number of shares of Common  Stock  that such  Selling
Stockholder beneficially owns, the number of shares of Common Stock beneficially
owned by each such Selling Stockholder that may be offered for sale from time to
time by the Supplemented  Prospectus and this Fifth Prospectus  Supplement,  the
number of shares of Common Stock to be  beneficially  owned by each such Selling
Stockholder  assuming  the sale of all of the  Shares  offered  by such  Selling
Stockholders  and the  percentage  of the  outstanding  shares of the  Company's
Common Stock to be  beneficially  owned by each such Selling  Stockholder  after
completion of the offering.  Entries for all Selling  Stockholders listed in the
Supplemented Prospectus other than those listed below is not amended hereby:




                                                       SHARES                                               SHARES
                                                    BENEFICIALLY                                         BENEFICIALLY
                                                      OWNED(1)(2)               SHARES WHICH             OWNED AFTER
                                                  PRIOR TO OFFERING             MAY BE SOLD             OFFERING(1)(2)(3)
                                                                                PURSUANT TO             -------------------------
SELLING STOCKHOLDER                              NUMBER       PERCENT           THIS PROSPECTUS(2)     NUMBER       PERCENT

                                                                                                        

Michael Agger                                          408       *                           408           ---            *

Daniel Beck                                            388       *                           388           ---            *

Berkshire Capital Investors                          9,216       *                         9,216            --            *

Boston Safe Deposit and Trust                       23,780       *                        23,780           ---            *
 Company of New York, Custodian
 of the Individual Retirement Account
 for Michael R. Lissack

Jonathan K. Butler                                     608       *                           608           ---            *

Michelle Chihara                                       162       *                           162           ---            *

Jane Forbes Clark                                   38,598       *                        38,598           ---            *

William P. Collatos                                  6,458       *                         6,458           ---            *

Cowen Investment Partners XXVII                     64,602       *                        64,602           ---            *

Janet M. Daly                                          556       *                           556           ---            *

Andrew G. Ferguson                                   1,620       *                         1,620           ---            *

John O. Fox                                         35,020       *                        35,020           ---            *

Myra D. Fox                                          1,944       *                         1,944           ---            *

Gabelli Multimedia Partners, L.P.                   12,918       *                        12,918           ---            *






Richard A. Gause                                     1,944       *                         1,944           ---            *

Matthew C. Harris                                    6,484       *                         6,484           ---            *

Brian R. Hecht                                      15,518       *                        15,518           ---            *

Allison Hershey                                      6,484       *                         6,484           ---            *

Janet Hershey                                        6,484       *                         6,484           ---            *

Nancy and Charles Hershey                            6,484       *                         6,484           ---            *

Brett P. Hershey                                    54,050       *                        54,050           ---            *

The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc.           310,064       *                       310,064           ---            *

Dr. Rob C. Jandl                                    19,456       *                        19,456           ---            *

Nathan Kurz                                          6,680       *                         6,680           ---            *

John LaPann                                          5,836       *                         5,836           ---            *

Ann Leibowitz                                        6,484       *                         6,484           ---            *

Massachusetts Capital Resource Company              64,594       *                        64,594           ---            *

David Mayer                                         12,970       *                        12,970           ---            *

Donna Damico                                         6,484       *                         6,484           ---            *

Michael Mayer, Profitsharing                         6,484       *                         6,484           ---            *

Walter C. Minnick                                   15,558       *                        15,558           ---            *

Amy L. Minnick                                         678       *                           678           ---            *

Adam W. Minnick                                        678       *                           678           ---            *

Sally D. Mole                                        1,698       *                         1,698           ---            *

Mavis K. Morris                                        678       *                           678           ---            *

Courtenay E. Morris                                    678       *                           678           ---            *

Virginia B. Morris                                   2,316       *                         2,316           ---            *

Kenneth Morris                                      53,172       *                        53,172           ---            *

Charles H. Mott                                      9,380       *                         9,380           ---            *

Matthew E. Nelson                                    1,620       *                         1,620           ---            *

Bo Peabody                                         199,560       *                        99,780        99,780            *

Bill Peabody                                         4,864       *                         4,864           ---            *

Margaret Peabody                                     4,864       *                         4,864           ---            *

Grace and Wilbur Peabody                             3,242       *                         3,242           ---            *

Margaret and Bill Peabody                            6,484       *                         6,484           ---            *

Mark Peabody                                        12,970       *                        12,970           ---            *






Peretz Family Investments, L.P.                    129,708       *                       129,708           ---            *

James and Marcia Plunkett                            6,484       *                         6,484           ---            *

James W. Plunkett                                    3,242       *                         3,242           ---            *

Marcia Weintraub Plunkett                            3,242       *                         3,242           ---            *

Richard J. Provenzano, M.D.                          2,832       *                         2,832           ---            *

Anthony A. Qaiyum                                    2,210       *                         2,210           ---            *

Rho Management Trust I                             581,366       *                       581,366           ---            *

Ricardo Rosenberg Revocable Trust                   15,808       *                        15,808           ---            *
DTD 10/16/92

Jane and Al Riehl                                    3,242       *                         3,242           ---            *

Susan Roe                                              324       *                           324           ---            *

Ann Rosenberg                                        3,242       *                         3,242           ---            *

David Rothschild                                     2,832       *                         2,832           ---            *

Frederick Rudolph                                    3,906       *                         3,906           ---            *

Richard H. Sabot                                   187,076       *                        93,538        93,538            *

Sabot Family Irrevocable Trust dated                21,402       *                        21,402           ---            *
 October 17, 1997

Sheafe Satterthwaite                                 6,484       *                         6,484           ---            *

Michael S. Seckler                                   6,484       *                         6,484           ---            *

Zelda Stern                                          3,748       *                         3,748           ---            *

Melanie A. Stowell                                   3,242       *                         3,242           ---            *

Laurie and Mark Strunsky                             6,484       *                         6,484           ---            *

Peter S. Willmott                                   58,328       *                        58,328           ---            *

Gordon C. Winston and Mary B. Winston                2,838       *                         2,838           ---            *






The Company may amend or supplement the  Supplemented  Prospectus and this Fifth
Prospectus  Supplement  from time to time to  update  the  disclosure  set forth
therein and herein.