Anagram Solver is a tool used to help players rearrange letters to generate all the possible words from them. You input the letters, and Anagram Maker gives you the edge to win Scrabble, Words With Friends, or any other word game. No matter the length or difficulty of the word, Anagram Solver provides all available word options.
Anagrams — Definition and Examples
Have you ever heard of an anagram? Maybe you recognize the term, but you’re not exactly sure what it means. On the other hand, you might be an expert at using anagrams and have fun with them when playing various word games and board games.
What is an Anagram?
Anagrams are words or phrases you spell by rearranging the letters of another word or phrase. For instance, fans of the Harry Potter series know that Lord Voldemort’s full name is actually an anagram of his birth name, and some people even play games challenging one another to make anagrams still relevant to the original term. For example, «schoolmaster» can be turned into «the classroom», «punishments» becomes «nine thumps», and «debit card» turns into «bad credit».
The only rule is that all the letters from the original word or phrase must be used when they’re reordered to say something entirely different.
History of Anagrams
Historians suggest that anagrams actually originated in the 4th century BC, but weren’t commonly used until the 13th century AD when they were sometimes thought of as mystical. Imagine that!
20 Cool Anagram Examples
Whatever your level of knowledge, Word Finder can be a great tool to assist you to unscramble letters and identify anagrams when playing online and offline games. Here are some examples to help you become more familiar with anagrams ─ starting with the word “anagram” itself.
- anagram = nag a ram
- below = elbow
- study = dusty
- night = thing
- act = cat
- dessert = stressed
- bad credit = debit card
- gainly = laying
- conversation = voice rants on
- eleven plus two = twelve plus one
- they see = the eyes
- funeral = real fun
- meteor = remote
- the classroom = schoolmaster
- meal for one = for me alone
- sweep the floor = too few helpers
- older and wiser = I learned words
- video game = give a demo
- coins kept = in pockets
- young lady = an old guy
Anagram Solver for Scrabble, Words with Friends and Crosswords
How does anagramming help with word games? Easily, it forces you to start reimagining your tiles in a less confusing way. You’ll start looking at how to make any phrase or word instead of simply struggling with what appears on the board and the rack.
Some people are naturals at coming up with anagrams. However, it’s a rare person who can look at language and expertly rearrange the consonants and vowels to arrive at interesting or entertaining new compositions.
What is an Anagram Solver?
An anagram solver is a terrific tool that many people like to rely on to create different letter combinations.
How to Use an Anagram Solver in 3 Simple Steps
- Step #1: Recognize prefixes and suffixes.
Following are common ones:
Some prefixes that start words ─ ab, ad, dis, de, ex, re, sub, un
Some suffixes that end words ─ ed, er, ing, ism, ly, ment, ness, tion
- Step #2: Pick them out.
- Step #3: Reorder the letters into new words.
Anagramming Example
One example is that the word “painter” could become “repaint” by moving the suffix to the beginning so that it becomes a prefix. Alternatively, the letters could be rearranged to make the word “pertain”.
Using Anagram Maker
Now, you may not see how anagramming can really help you win at games such as Scrabble or Words with Friends. However, just think about it for a moment. If you have the board in front of you, and it is loaded with an array of pre-existing words and open spaces, your strategy demands you consider the most lucrative moves. It is not just about making the longest word, but more about the words that give the most points. Anagram generators, like ours, give you solutions with anything from two to six or more letters. You can then use them to plug into the available spaces, finding the highest points possible.
Scrabble Anagram Maker
Seasoned Scrabble players will already know the value of using an anagram generator. After pulling seven tiles from the Scrabble bag and laying them out on their rack, the first player must use a sufficient number to make a complete word to get the game going. There can be a lot riding on this initial play. So, it’s not an uncommon practice for participants to take a little time moving the letters around to see what arrangement will give them the highest score. After all, if they can keep their early advantage, they may eventually win the game!
What’s more, as the game progresses, players will sometimes become stumped about how to display the tiles that they have on the board to gain the most points for the play. In short, having an anagram creator can assist Scrabble players to use their tile points to make words with the best possible score quickly so that the game remains exciting.
Words with Friends Anagram Finder
Similarly, an anagram word finder can be an invaluable device when enjoying Words with Friends. Faced with a jumble of letters, some players may be tempted to cheat or may try out words that they’re not very sure of. Would you believe that the English language has over 171,400 words? In addition, new words are added all the time. Therefore, it’s no wonder that game participants will sometimes become confused or perplexed when they’re attempting to solve multiple words and figure out where to make their next move.
Since Words with Friends is a digital game, you may be engaging with people anywhere in the world unless, of course, you choose to play solo. The game has the potential to be quite fast-paced, and you certainly don’t want to contemplate over your next move to slow things down ─ particularly when you may just be getting to know your opponent! This is where having a word anagram aid to use can be indispensable.
2 Tips to Solve Anagrams for Word Games Players
Are you ready for some final tips about solving anagrams? We’re sure that you can put the following information to good use!
Tip 1: Word Unscrambler
By employing Word Unscrambler, participants in word games are able to search for anagrams by entering the letters and wildcards that they have. Not only that, but they can use an advanced filter to discover words that start or end with particular letters and for other inquiries.
Here are a few examples:
The word “listen” is made up of letters EILNTS. When the word itself if entered in the Word Unscrambler, it quickly finds “silent”.
Along the same lines, “save”, comprised of AESV, reveals the word “vase” in the Word Unscrambler.
Tip 2: Phrase Unscrambler
When we study a phrase on its own, we can become quite stuck on its meaning and it can be difficult to see just how the words and letters can make something new. Hence, Phrase Unscrambler can be very valuable when players are looking to change the letters around in phrases to pinpoint anagrams.
Take a look at these examples:
“Dirty room” contains the following letters ─ DIMOORRTY. Putting the phrase into the Phrase Unscrambler uncovers the word “dormitory”.
By entering the phrase “moon starer” that has these letters ─ AEMNOORRST, the Phrase Unscrambler locates the word “Astronomer”.
Start playing with our anagram finder and discover the surprising number of options just a single collection of tiles can yield. Become an anagram creator today!
Question:
Rearranging the letters to form a word is a very funny algorithm problem, and it has several variants. Here we will talk about the problem – the most efficient way to find out whether we can rearrange these letters and form a word, and if yes, return all words that can be constructed.
For input [d, a, e, p, n, p], we can rearrange them into a word «append».
Answers:
We can think about our commonly-used data structure — HashMap, if we can build one HashMap from the dictionary, and then query it using some key, the running time would be O(1). Brilliant!!!
But what would be key and value?
First the input order doesn’t matter, «atc» is same as «tac», or «cta», so we can order the input, «atc», «tac», «cta» would all be sorted as «act».
Also we may construct several words from the letters, for example, we can form «act», «cat» from the letters — «atc».
So we can build the HashMap from the dictionary, the key would be the sorted letters; the value would be a list containing all words that can be constructed by rearranging the order of these letters.
Code:
package org.codeexample.jefferyyuan.algorithm.wordPuzzles;
import java.io.*;
import java.util.*;
import java.util.regex.Pattern;
public class Dictionary {
private Map> wordMap = new HashMap<>();
/**
* @param dictionaryFile, the file contains list of words,
* each line may contain several words that are separated by space.
* @throws IOException
*/
public Dictionary(String dictionaryFile) throws IOException {
init(dictionaryFile);
}
private void init(String dictionaryFile) throws IOException {
FileReader fr = new FileReader(new File(dictionaryFile));
FileReader fr = new FileReader(file);
BufferedReader br = new BufferedReader(fr);
Pattern pattern = Pattern.compile(«\s+»);
while (true) {
String line = br.readLine();
if (line == null) {
break;
}
String[] words = pattern.split(line);
for (String word : words) {
word = word.trim();
if (!word.isEmpty()) {
String sortedWord = getMapKey(word);
HashSet matchedWordSet = wordMap.get(sortedWord);
if (matchedWordSet == null) {
matchedWordSet = new HashSet<>();
}
matchedWordSet.add(word);
wordMap.put(sortedWord, matchedWordSet);
}
}
}
}
private String getMapKey(String letters) {
char[] chars = letters.toCharArray();
Arrays.sort(chars);
return String.valueOf(chars);
}
/**
* Return a list of word that can constructed by rearranging these letters.
*
* @param letters
* @return a hash set that containing all words, if can’t find one, return
* empty list, instead of null to avoid NPE in client code.
* @throws IllegalArgumentException if parameter is null.
*/
public Set formWords(String letters)
throws IllegalArgumentException {
if (letters == null) {
throw new IllegalArgumentException(«parameter can’t be null.»);
}
Set wordsSet = wordMap.get(getMapKey(letters));
if (wordsSet == null) {
wordsSet = new HashSet<>();
}
return wordsSet;
}
}
This article is migrated from my another blog: http://programmer-plus.blogspot.com/, but I found that I forgot my username for that blog. DARN!!!
This tool will help you solve the Word Unscrambler online,
name, word or
phrase creates a new word. To make up a word from
given letters
enter letters in the search field and click find.
Anagram is the result of rearranging letters to compose other words or phrases.
Tool Description
The generator does all possible permutations of letters among the ones
proposed by the user (encrypted letters in a mess) and identifies words that exist in English
dictionary.
We have added a new function to the search settings, now if you do not have
enough letters, you can choose how many letters you are missing, at the moment you can choose 1
or two letters, the
program will automatically select possible letters and make up new words.
To better understand anagrams, let’s look at an example of how letters are rearranged and
compilation of new words. For example, take how to make words of 4 and 5 letters.
Olga
7 days ago
Lsalmre
Lllllgg
30 days ago
Хуйло
Саша
1 month ago
Жопай нюхаю ?
Альбина
2 months ago
isglihn
ВЛАДИМИР
2 months ago
thsmessc
Hufpell
4 months ago
Hufpell
Anya
5 months ago
Cmsonert
Забивная
8 months ago
Useho
МИША
8 months ago
corty
MlsslNG
9 months ago
My
Софья
1 year ago
Spalep
Светлана Михайловна
1 year ago
а где слово та а
artem
1 year ago
egeis
eeiulszpg
1 year ago
eeiulszpg
аля
1 year ago
Barbareskenstaaten немецкий
s t a t e o f s u r v i v a l
1 year ago
s t a t e o f s u r v i v a l
татьяна
1 year ago
nlaigwegli составить из немецких букв слово
Рабадан Салихов
1 year ago
Yazxcv
Rearrange the letters to form the correct word
EGBINDINATL
[Read more…]
Y.T.A.M.R.H.E
arrange the words in romantic word.
Check your answer:-
Rearrange the letters to form the correct word
TESHTUT
Rearrange the letters to form the correct word
splrieeahd
Check your answer:-
Rearrange the letters to make a meaningful word
OBBGTPOGIPIUPOG
Correct spelling
onaihnjne(famous personality)
LCCTMRHPAAAUE
Please help me to arrange this puzzle in to a english word
( E.U.E.N.Y.M.O.R.I.A ), re-arrange these letters to form a romantic sentence.
Check your answer:-
[Read more…]
Correct the spelling and figure out the word
1. lmieob
2. lbaecan
3. lbgieutth
4. ltapsrus
5. orrrim
[Read more…]
Guess the HINDI movie ENGLISH names by rearranging letters
1.NTWEAD- Answer WANTED
2.WMORUTDRE
3.GYUBDOORD-
4.UIDGE-
5.TLEEWIFHEJ-
6.UNBHTREGNTINARI-
7.RTTDHIEEIOS-
8.YTBBMAOOOAG.
9.NGEGSATNR
10.NSOFAIH-
11.NAGCTHAIE
12.AMHNSIKRIOMSSI
13.YESDWENDAA-
14.NREINESCNHSEAXP-
15.EFLHLSOUU-
[Read more…]
Use Anagram Solver to Rearrange Letters into Words
Simply plug your letters into the anagram finder search bar below to get started.
Does an anagram challenge or word scramble game have you stumped?
Our Anagram Solver is a convenient word unscrambler for whenever and wherever you need anagram help. The anagram generator finds different letter combinations that form words and categorizes the results by word length.
So, go ahead, be resourceful! Use our Anagram Solver free tool today to become more competitive than ever when playing Scrabble, Words With Friends, or your favorite letter scramble game.
How to use
Type in your letters
Type the letters you want to unscramble into the Anagram Solver search bar.
Search for usable words
Press the search button to view possible anagram words.
Sort the results
Filter or group the results by word length or number of letters.
What is
an anagram?
An anagram is a word, phrase or name that you can form by rearranging the letters of another word, phrase or letter scramble. Nearly every word game including Scrabble and Words With Friends may include anagram word finder challenges that require you to unscramble anagrams to form words or phrases.
Variations of Anagrams
Palindrome
A palindrome is a word or phrase that reads the same backwards as it does forwards. For example, madam is a palindrome.
Blanagram
A blanagram is a word that comes from combining any letter with an anagram scramble to form a word. In a game of Scrabble, for example, a blanagram is created by adding a blank tile where needed to unscramble letters to form an anagram word.
Unscramble Words With Anagram Solver
Discover hidden words with Anagram Solver. The free online word unscrambler pulls from an intelligent, cloud-based anagram server that rearranges letters into winning combinations.
The robust anagram machine can double as a multiple word anagram solver or single-word anagram name generator. Experience the power of this handy word scramble maker today. Just enter the letters you want to unscramble into the search bar above.
Anagrams in Scrabble
Scrabble is essentially one big word search and anagrams game. So, after our dedicated Scrabble Word Finder, this Anagram Solver is the next best internet anagram server for English language Scrabble games.
If you’re struggling to determine words you can put on your Scrabble board, our user-friendly anagram maker helps you score the most points so you can remain competitive in your game.
Simply enter your letters into the Anagram Solver online search bar to discover the winning combination of anagram words or phrases for your Scrabble game.
Anagrams in Words with friends
This anagram word solver is your best friend when playing a game of Words With Friends. Anagram Solver instantly unscrambles words on your rack to help you identify new words, phrases and titles you can use in a multi-player anagrams game.
In addition to this anagram unscrambler, we also have word lists and a Words With Friends helper you can reference when it’s your turn to shine. With our “anagrams cheat” tools, it’s now easier than ever to win Words With Friends.
How Anagram Games Work
Rules
There are TONS of variants of the Anagrams Game. There are also many different anagram rules, letter distributions, and ways to score points.
The most common word finder anagram challenge has 188 Tiles and the same point system and rules as Scrabble. The official dictionaries permissible in standard anagram games are also similar to those in standard Scrabble games.
But how closely or loosely you follow anagram rules and “tricks of the trade” will depend on how “official” you and your opponents want to be when solving anagrams. For example, will you allow blank tiles and wildcards to be used? The choice is yours.
How to form words
Combining Letters
You can create words by combining single letter tiles into one word or a multiple word phrase.
Stealing
Add letters to words from other players to “steal” their points. Any new word you create must be substantially different from the original.
Combining words
Create phrases, sayings, or longer words by adding to other players’ words. Simply use our anagram decoder to unscramble letters and combine them with previously played words. But remember, the new word or phrase has to be substantially different from the original.
How to count your score
Simple Letter Count
The player with the most tiles on the board wins. This is the most basic way to score a word scrambler game.
Simple Word Count
The player who forms the most words wins. This is another straightforward way to score an anagram game or word search.
Rewarding long words
Remove one or two points from every tile that forms a word. So, in essence, players who create longer words will be rewarded.
X Word Wind
The first player to unscramble or steal a predefined number of words wins. This preset number (X) should be determined and agreed to by all players before the game begins.
Anagram Solver is a powerful online tool that helps players rearrange letters and generate new word patterns. Simply input the letters, and Anagram Solver can help you better your skills in Scrabble, Words With Friends, or any other word game. Length and difficulty are not a problem, Anagram Solver can provide all available word choices.
Anagrams: Examples & Definitions
Anagrams are everywhere, perhaps you have heard of them? Maybe you know what an anagram is, but you just can’t explain it. On the other hand, you might be an anagram master, and you’ve been using them for years whilst playing your favorite board games and crossword puzzles. Whether you’re a novice or an expert, this is your guide to anagrams.
What Is An Anagram?
An anagram is a phrase or word that when its letters are rearranged, another phrase or word is created. For example, the word LISTEN can be arranged differently to form the word SILENT, and remember, one of the anagram rules is that all the letters of the original phrase or word must be used to create the new one!
Where Are Anagrams Used?
Since the time of the Ancient Greeks, through the middle ages, and up to the modern world of the 21st century, anagrams have been used for code, pseudonyms, crossword puzzles, and most commonly fun! Online and offline games have been utilizing them for years, and that’s when Word Finder can be a great tool in getting you ahead of everyone else!
20 Examples Of Anagrams:
Whether you are a novice or a veteran to the world of vowel jumps, consonant crossing, or syllable sliding, here are a few more anagram challenge examples:
- HEAT = EARTH
- TAR = RAT
- PARIS = PAIRS
- CLINT EASTWOOD = OLD WEST ACTION
- ARC = CAR
- ELBOW = BELOW
- BAD CREDIT = DEBIT CARD
- STATE = TASTE
- CIDER = CRIED
- STRESSED = DESSERTS
- DUSTY = STUDY
- THE MORSE CODE = HERE COME DOTS
- FUNERAL = REAL FUN
- VIDEO GAME = GIVE A DEMO
- NIGHT = THNG
- ELEVEN PLUS TWO = TWELVE PLUS ONE
- INCH = CHIN
- SAN DIEGO = DIAGNOSE
- FOURTH OF JULY = JOYFUL FOURTH
- GAINLY = LAYING
Anagram Solver: Scrabble, WWF & Crosswords
So, how does creating an anagram within your anagram puzzle game actually help you? Simple, it forces you to rearrange the letter combinations you’re using and creates new avenues for thought in your head. You start to imagine different scenarios and combinations, and with the right anagram, you’ll find the most lucrative moves.
Anagram Solver: 3 Steps
Some are naturals when it comes to rearranging and creating new anagrams, and there are those that could do with a handy tool to help with their jumble of letters; an anagram generator is a perfect solution to that.
Step 1: Recognize some commonly used prefixes and suffixes
Some common prefixes: AB, AD, DIS, DE, EX, RE, SUB, UN
Some common suffixes: ED, ER, ING, ISM, LY, MENT, NESS, TION
Step 2: Pick them out
Step 3:Change the order of the letters to create new words
An example of this is the word PAINTER. By moving the suffix to the beginning, so that it becomes a prefix, it becomes the word REPAINT. The letters could also be rearranged to make the word PERTAIN.
Anagram Maker: Scrabble
When staring at a game board with multiple choices to make, sometimes the longest word is not the most lucrative. As seasoned scrabble players will know, the first few moves of a game are the most crucial. However, being stuck late in the game is also a major issue. That’s where anagram generators come in. An anagram generator, like ours, uses its massive database to give you solutions with two to six or more letters and checked in the scrabble dictionary. Using our online tool will help any scrabble player hit those wildcard scores and steal the game, not to mention the best scrabble players will use an anagram tool to make games quicker and more exciting.
Anagram Finder: Words With Friends
Just like our Anagram Maker, Anagram Finder can be an equally invaluable tool when playing other online puzzle games like Words With Friends. Faced with a string of characters and over 171,000 words in the English language, some players may feel the need to cheat just to keep up with the competition. With newer players, the daunting task of trying to accumulate the most points, whilst also playing with pace and assurance can be a real challenge, especially in a well established online community.
Anagram Finder looks to reduce that anxiety, and help players new and old, engage with the game, solve multiple words and never be stuck for words to play. Remember, getting new arrangements of words forces your mind to explore new possibilities. This is where having a word anagram aid can be indispensable.
Word Game Player Tips: How To Solve Anagrams
Here are a few final tips about the wonderful world of anagram challenges and word problems. We hope you can pull some useful information from our article, and perhaps create a little cheat sheet to get you ahead of the competition!
Word Unscrambler
Word Unscrambler, word game players are able to search for anagrams by entering the random letters and wildcards or blank tiles they have. You can use the basic anagram finder search bar or go a little further with its advanced filter to discover words that start or end with particular letters or letter sets.
Here are some examples:
Let’s consider the original term LISTEN. It contains the letters E, I, L, N, T, S. When the tiles are entered in the Word Unscrambler, it quickly finds two long-awaited gems — SILENT and ENLIST.
Similarly, SAVE, composed of the letters A, E, S, and V, reveals the word VASE in the Word Unscrambler.
Phrase Unscrambler
Phrases can be a little more tricky to compute in our brains sometimes, we often find it difficult to extract a single word from two or three, and vice versa. That’s why Phrase Unscrambler can be the best weapon in your arsenal, by taking the hard work out of anagram decoding.
Let’s take a look at some examples:
The phrase DIRTY ROOM contains the letters ─ D, I, M, O, O, R, R, T, Y. Putting that single collection into the anagram decoder reveals the word DORMITORY.
By entering MOON STARTER which has these letters ─ A, E, M, N, O, O, R, R, S, T the Phrase Unscrambler finds the word ASTRONOMER.
Anagram word solver and all the tools we mentioned can not only make you a better word game player, but they can also help you have the maximum amount of fun and get the most enjoyment from every game. Now get out there and become an anagram creator!
Anagram Solver and Anagrammer’s Guide
From cryptic crosswords to board games, anagrams are one of the most commonly used forms of word puzzle. With a history dating back to ancient Greece, the desire to play with words has been a part of the human psyche for thousands of years. If you’re trying to create or crack an anagram, you’ve come to the right place to learn how to improve your skills or use our tools to help you get past puzzler’s block.
Note: Are you looking for a «words in a word» finder or a letters to words generator? Then try the word unscrambler.
Options
Minimum word length
Maximum number of words per anagram
Always include these words
Exclude these words
Max number of results
Need to validate an anagram? Click here or scroll down.
What is an Anagram?
Anagrams are a deceptively simple idea. To create one, you just take the letters of one word and rearrange them. The trick comes in trying to make new words or phrases from the original, or with enough skill that it hides the original word from view.
The idea has been popular almost as long as language has been recorded, with the Ancient Greeks and Romans using them for different purposes. In modern times, though, anagrams are usually used as a mental exercise; a taxing crossword clue or puzzle.
The art of a good anagram is that it creates a new word or phrase, and this has been used to satire, parody or criticize a person or subject. For example, there’s the famous theory that the King of Rock n Roll didn’t pass away at Graceland in 1977.
anagram [an-uh-gram]
noun:
1. a word, phrase or sentence formed from another by rearranging its letters.
2. a game whereby players build words by transposing and often, adding, letters.
Tips for Solving Anagrams
Sometimes, you’ll look at an anagram and be able to see immediately what the other word or words are. At other times you will stare blankly at the series of letters, hoping they will magically rearrange themselves before your eyes. Thankfully, though, anagramming isn’t a skill that you’re just born with, it is something that you can improve with practice and by keeping these techniques in mind.
Try Ignoring the Vowels
As text speak (or txt spk) is teaching us, it’s possible to understand words even if they’ve been thoroughly disemvoweled. While it might make literary purists grind their teeth, this sort of rapid spelling can come in handy as an anagram solver.
To try this technique, simply write your anagram out again without any of the vowels (A, E, I, O and U) and see if you can arrange the consonants into a pattern that sounds like something. For example:
Anagram: NAPIT
- Without vowels: NPT NTP TPN TNP PTN PNT
- Possible words: Tapping, Taping, Pattern, Portion, Pint, Paint
- Solution: PAINT
Look for Patterns
Some words go together better than others. Take ING for example, they’re often found loitering at the end of words, or L&Y which love to be together. You could also look for common prefixes and suffixes, which can point you in the right direction.
Keep rearranging the letters
If you can’t see the solution with the letters in the sequence that they’ve been presented to you, try writing them out again in a different order. This can be particularly useful if you’re working on an anagram that has created another word or phrase, as you brain can get fixated on the easy solution in front of you and not see any alternatives.
Take a break
If you’re finding yourself getting frustrated with the puzzle, then take a leaf out of Charles Dickens’ book and go for a nice long walk. The famous author used to write every day until 2pm and then walk, sometimes into the night. Scientists now know that this allows your brain to switch from focused mode to diffused mode.
What that means is that rather than trying to push through your mental block with sheer force of will, you can just go and do something else and let your subconscious work on the puzzle. It can be surprisingly effective!
Use our tools
Since the point of puzzle games is to have fun, there’s really no point in torturing yourself if you can’t see the answer. Instead, why not just use an anagram solver tool, like the one at the top of this page, and get on with another puzzle that will be more enjoyable?
Validate anagram
Check that two words, phrases or sentences have the same letters. For example: SILENT and LISTEN.
Types of Anagram
While anagrams are just a simple matter of rearranging letters, the ways and reasons that those letters are rearranged can differ. This had led to a number of different types of anagram, which it is worth understanding as knowing why something has been encrypted can help you decrypt it.
An Anagram to Encode or Hide a meaning
Rearranging the letters of a word is a very basic way of making a code. While it shouldn’t be used for sensitive information, if you keep your method secret it would be an effective method of hiding phone numbers or other notes you want to hide from prying eyes. NB. To encode numbers, first choose the letter it corresponds to on a telephone keypad.
When the BBC were talking about bringing back the Sci-Fi show, Doctor Who, they referred to it in internal documents by an anagram, Torchwood, to avoid leaks getting out. Of course, that anagram then went on to be a part of show’s history.
Letters rearranged to a new meaning
This is where anagrams get playful – using the letters from a word of phrase to come up with a different meaning entirely. This is far easier with a longer phrase than a single word, which has sometimes led to anagramers taking liberties and substituting letters such as Z for S.
This type of anagram is often used for satire, for example when the phrase, ‘Rail Safety’ is rearranged to read, ‘Fairy Tales’.
Antigrams
If you take one word or phrase and rearrange it to mean the exact opposite, then you’ve made an antigram. For example, if you work in retail you might not feel too kindly towards your clientele…
CUSTOMERS
become
STORE SCUM
Names into Phrases
If you enjoy satire, then you’ll like this next type of anagram. It’s the taking of a person’s name and using those letters to create a word or phrase. There’s a lot of skill involved in this, but the results are often worth the effort, for example: Gillian Anderson who says, ‘No aliens, darling’ or James Bond and his demon jabs.
History of Anagrams
Historians have traced the anagram all the way back to the 6th Century BCE, when Pythagorus, Plato and other famous names used ‘Theremu’ (which translates as changing) to rearrange names and words to divine meaning.
Then in the 3rd century BCE, a Greek poet called Lycophron wanted to flatter the king. He wrote a poem about the siege of Troy and included anagrams of both Ptolemy and his wife Arsinoë. By rearranging the letters of their names, he was able to imply Ptolemy was, ‘Made of honey’, while his wife was ‘Hera’s Violet,’ a testament to her beauty.
When the majority of people who could read and write spoke Latin, (13th-15th Century) anagrams were a popular form of divination, but they were also used for recreation. There was a drive to keep anagrams, ‘perfect’ by using only the letters provided, although some substitutions were allowed: I for J, VV for W and so on. It was also during this time that Jewish Kabbalists used anagrams for divination.
It was during the 17th Century that wordplay had a resurgence. Some of the brightest minds began ‘leaking’ their breakthroughs by first presenting them in anagram form. When Robert Hooke discovered Hooke’s Law, he first published it as an anagram which could be decoded to, ‘As the tension, so the force.’
Even pranksters enjoyed using anagrams to tip people off to their tricks. When Sir Peter Scott formed the Loch Ness Phenomena Investigation Bureau, he petitioned to have the Loch Ness Monster officially registered as an endangered species under the name ‘Nessiteras rhombopteryx’ which translated as ‘the monster of Ness with the diamond shaped fin.’ It was the Daily Telegraph who noted the name was an anagram of, ‘Monster hoax by Sir Peter S.’
Uses of Anagrams
As you can imagine, over the years, anagrams have been used for many different purposes. Here are just a few.
Ciphers
Transposition ciphers are one of the most commonly found methods of encryption. These ciphers are created by rearranging letters according to a pattern, depending on the cipher type. During World War II, the double transposition cipher was used by both the Allies and the Axis. It’s regarded as one of the strongest manual ciphers. Anagramming skills are the key to break it. Being a skilled anagrammer also helps breaking other types of transposition ciphers like the rail fence or columnar transposition cipher.
Games
There are many word games that use anagrams, or the skills of making and breaking them at their core. Scrabble gives you 7 letters to make a word from, Boggle encourages you to find as many words as you can from a selection of letters, and anagram-based clues are a favorite of crosswords.
Pseudonyms
If you’re a star spotter, then learning to recognize anagrams of famous names will serve you well. It’s not uncommon for someone to use an anagram to hide their identity, or to use it to reference themselves in an oblique was as Jim Morrison did in L.A Woman when he sang about Mr. Mojo Risin’.
Book/Film Titles
Whether it’s hiding the name of a project a la Doctor Who, or just reinterpreting the title as happened with Horam Hick Jr.’s book, Rocket Boys, which became October Sky for its movie version, wherever there are creative people, there are anagrams. Who can forget the moment when Tom Marvolo Riddle’s name was rearranged?
Divination
And just like those ancient Greeks, there are still people today who use anagrams as a means of seeking a spiritual meaning. If you write your name and your career down, can you come up with any auspicious anagrams? If not, some would suggest you’re in the wrong job.
Ready to Nag a Ram?
From scientists to surrealists, poets to pranksters, anagrams have been used for many purposes during their history. As you pick up a pen and paper and start trying to work through your latest anagram, you’re sharing a common experience with ancestors going back almost 3,000 years. And if that idea doesn’t appeal, you can always embrace the modern way and just use a computer to solve the thing for you!