What is an anagram of the word words

An anagram is a word or phrase formed by rearranging the letters of a different word or phrase, typically using all the original letters exactly once.^[1] For example, the word anagram itself can be rearranged into nag a ram, as well as the word binary into brainy and the word adobe into abode.

The original word or phrase is known as the subject of the anagram. Any word or phrase that exactly reproduces the letters in another order is an anagram. Someone who creates anagrams may be called an «anagrammatist»,^[2] and the goal of a serious or skilled anagrammatist is to produce anagrams that reflect or comment on their subject.

Examples[edit]

Anagrams may be created as a commentary on the subject. They may be a parody, a criticism or satire. For example:

• «New York Times» = «monkeys write»
• «Church of Scientology» = «rich-chosen goofy cult»
• «McDonald’s restaurants» = «Uncle Sam’s standard rot»
• «coronavirus» = «carnivorous»
• «She Sells Sanctuary» = «Santa; shy, less cruel» or «Satan; cruel, less shy»

An anagram may also be a synonym of the original word. For example:

• «evil» = «vile»
• «a gentleman» = «elegant man»
• «eleven plus two» = «twelve plus one»

An anagram that has a meaning opposed to that of the original word or phrase is called an «antigram».^[3] For example:

• «restful» = «fluster»
• «cheater» = «teacher»
• «funeral» = «real fun»
• «adultery» = «true lady»
• «forty five» = «over fifty»
• «Santa» = «Satan»

They can sometimes change from a proper noun or personal name into an appropriate sentence:

• «William Shakespeare» = «I am a weakish speller»
• «Madam Curie» = «Radium came»
• «George Bush» = «He bugs Gore»
• «Tom Marvolo Riddle» = «I am Lord Voldemort»

They can change part of speech, such as the adjective «silent» to the verb «listen».

«Anagrams» itself can be anagrammatized as «Ars magna» (Latin, ‘the great art’).^[4]

History[edit]

Anagrams can be traced back to the time of the ancient Greeks, and were used to find the hidden and mystical meaning in names.^[5]
They were popular throughout Europe during the Middle Ages, for example with the poet and composer Guillaume de Machaut.^[6] They are said to date back at least to the Greek poet Lycophron, in the third century BCE; but this relies on an account of Lycophron given by John Tzetzes in the 12th century.^[7]

In the Talmudic and Midrashic literature, anagrams were used to interpret the Hebrew Bible, notably by Eleazar of Modi’im. Later, Kabbalists took this up with enthusiasm, calling anagrams temurah.^[8]

Anagrams in Latin were considered witty over many centuries. Est vir qui adest, explained below, was cited as the example in Samuel Johnson’s A Dictionary of the English Language. They became hugely popular in the early modern period, especially in Germany.^[9]

Any historical material on anagrams must always be interpreted in terms of the assumptions and spellings that were current for the language in question. In particular, spelling in English only slowly became fixed. There were attempts to regulate anagram formation, an important one in English being that of George Puttenham’s Of the Anagram or Posy Transposed in The Art of English Poesie (1589).

Influence of Latin[edit]

As a literary game when Latin was the common property of the literate, Latin anagrams were prominent.^[10] Two examples are the change of Ave Maria, gratia plena, Dominus tecum (Latin: Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord [is] with you) into Virgo serena, pia, munda et immaculata (Latin: Serene virgin, pious, clean and spotless), and the anagrammatic answer to Pilate’s question, Quid est veritas? (Latin: What is truth?), namely, Est vir qui adest (Latin: It is the man who is here). The origins of these are not documented.

Latin continued to influence letter values (such as I = J, U = V and W = VV). There was an ongoing tradition of allowing anagrams to be «perfect» if the letters were all used once, but allowing for these interchanges. This can be seen in a popular Latin anagram against the Jesuits: Societas Jesu turned into Vitiosa seces (Latin: Cut off the wicked things). Puttenham, in the time of Elizabeth I, wished to start from Elissabet Anglorum Regina (Latin: Elizabeth Queen of the English), to obtain Multa regnabis ense gloria (Latin: By thy sword shalt thou reign in great renown); he explains carefully that H is «a note of aspiration only and no letter», and that Z in Greek or Hebrew is a mere SS. The rules were not completely fixed in the 17th century. William Camden in his Remains commented, singling out some letters—Æ, K, W, and Z—not found in the classical Roman alphabet:^[11]

The precise in this practice strictly observing all the parts of the definition, are only bold with H either in omitting or retaining it, for that it cannot challenge the right of a letter. But the Licentiats somewhat licentiously, lest they should prejudice poetical liberty, will pardon themselves for doubling or rejecting a letter, if the sence fall aptly, and «think it no injury to use E for Æ; V for W; S for Z, and C for K, and contrariwise.

— William Camden, Remains

Early modern period[edit]

When it comes to the 17th century and anagrams in English or other languages, there is a great deal of documented evidence of learned interest. The lawyer Thomas Egerton was praised through the anagram gestat honorem (‘he carries honor’); the physician George Ent took the anagrammatic motto genio surget (‘he rises through spirit/genius’), which requires his first name as Georgius.^[12] James I’s courtiers discovered in «James Stuart» «a just master», and converted «Charles James Stuart» into «Claims Arthur’s seat» (even at that point in time, the letters I and J were more-or-less interchangeable). Walter Quin, tutor to the future Charles I, worked hard on multilingual anagrams on the name of father James.^[13] A notorious murder scandal, the Overbury case, threw up two imperfect anagrams that were aided by typically loose spelling and were recorded by Simonds D’Ewes: «Francis Howard» (for Frances Carr, Countess of Somerset, her maiden name spelled in a variant) became «Car findes a whore», with the letters E hardly counted, and the victim Thomas Overbury, as «Thomas Overburie», was written as «O! O! a busie murther» (an old form of «murder»), with a V counted as U.^[14][15]

William Drummond of Hawthornden, in an essay On the Character of a Perfect Anagram, tried to lay down rules for permissible substitutions (such as S standing for Z) and letter omissions.^[16] William Camden^[17] provided a definition of «Anagrammatisme» as «a dissolution of a name truly written into his letters, as his elements, and a new connection of it by artificial transposition, without addition, subtraction or change of any letter, into different words, making some perfect sense appliable (i.e., applicable) to the person named.» Dryden in MacFlecknoe disdainfully called the pastime the «torturing of one poor word ten thousand ways».^[18]

«Eleanor Audeley», wife of Sir John Davies, is said to have been brought before the High Commission^{[clarification needed]} in 1634 for extravagances, stimulated by the discovery that her name could be transposed to «Reveale, O Daniel», and to have been laughed out of court by another anagram submitted by Sir John Lambe, the dean of the Arches, «Dame Eleanor Davies», «Never soe mad a ladie».^[19][20]

An example from France was a flattering anagram for Cardinal Richelieu, comparing him to Hercules or at least one of his hands (Hercules being a kingly symbol), where Armand de Richelieu became Ardue main d’Hercule («difficult hand of Hercules»).^[21]

Modern period[edit]

Examples from the 19th century are the transposition of «Horatio Nelson» into Honor est a Nilo (Latin: Honor is from the Nile); and of «Florence Nightingale» into «Flit on, cheering angel».^[22] The Victorian love of anagramming as recreation is alluded to by the mathematician Augustus De Morgan^[23] using his own name as an example; «Great Gun, do us a sum!» is attributed to his son William De Morgan, but a family friend John Thomas Graves was prolific, and a manuscript with over 2,800 has been preserved.^[24][25][26]

With the advent of surrealism as a poetic movement, anagrams regained the artistic respect they had had in the Baroque period. The German poet Unica Zürn, who made extensive use of anagram techniques, came to regard obsession with anagrams as a «dangerous fever», because it created isolation of the author.^[27] The surrealist leader André Breton coined the anagram Avida Dollars for Salvador Dalí, to tarnish his reputation by the implication of commercialism.

Applications[edit]

While anagramming is certainly a recreation first, there are ways in which anagrams are put to use, and these can be more serious, or at least not quite frivolous and formless. For example, psychologists use anagram-oriented tests, often called «anagram solution tasks», to assess the implicit memory of young adults and adults alike.^[28]

Establishment of priority[edit]

Natural philosophers (astronomers and others) of the 17th century transposed their discoveries into Latin anagrams, to establish their priority. In this way they laid claim to new discoveries before their results were ready for publication.

Galileo used smaismrmilmepoetaleumibunenugttauiras for Altissimum planetam tergeminum observavi (Latin: I have observed the most distant planet to have a triple form) for discovering the rings of Saturn in 1610.^[29][30] Galileo announced his discovery that Venus had phases like the Moon in the form Haec immatura a me iam frustra leguntur oy (Latin: These immature ones have already been read in vain by me -oy), that is, when rearranged, Cynthiae figuras aemulatur Mater Amorum (Latin: The Mother of Loves [= Venus] imitates the figures of Cynthia [= the moon]). In both cases, Johannes Kepler had solved the anagrams incorrectly, assuming they were talking about the Moons of Mars (Salve, umbistineum geminatum Martia proles) and a red spot on Jupiter (Macula rufa in Jove est gyratur mathem), respectively.^[31] By coincidence, he turned out to be right about the actual objects existing.

In 1656, Christiaan Huygens, using a better telescope than those available to Galileo, figured that Galileo’s earlier observations of Saturn actually meant it had a ring (Galileo’s tools were only sufficient to see it as bumps) and, like Galileo, had published an anagram, aaaaaacccccdeeeeeghiiiiiiillllmmnnnnnnnnnooooppqrrstttttuuuuu. Upon confirming his observations, three years later he revealed it to mean Annulo cingitur, tenui, plano, nusquam coherente, ad eclipticam inclinato (Latin: It [Saturn] is surrounded by a thin, flat, ring, nowhere touching, inclined to the ecliptic).^[32]

When Robert Hooke discovered Hooke’s law in 1660, he first published it in anagram form, ceiiinosssttuv, for ut tensio, sic vis (Latin: as the extension, so the force).^[33]

Pseudonyms[edit]

Anagrams are connected to pseudonyms, by the fact that they may conceal or reveal, or operate somewhere in between like a mask that can establish identity. For example, Jim Morrison used an anagram of his name in the Doors song «L.A. Woman», calling himself «Mr. Mojo Risin'».^[34] The use of anagrams and fabricated personal names may be to circumvent restrictions on the use of real names, as happened in the 18th century when Edward Cave wanted to get around restrictions imposed on the reporting of the House of Commons.^[35] In a genre such as farce or parody, anagrams as names may be used for pointed and satiric effect.

Pseudonyms adopted by authors are sometimes transposed forms of their names; thus «Calvinus» becomes «Alcuinus» (here V = U) or «François Rabelais» = «Alcofribas Nasier». The name «Voltaire» of François Marie Arouet fits this pattern, and is allowed to be an anagram of «Arouet, l[e] j[eune]» (U = V, J = I) that is, «Arouet the younger». Other examples include:

• «Damon Albarn» = «Dan Abnormal»
• «Dave Barry» = «Ray Adverb»
• «Arrigo Boito» = «Tobia Gorrio»
• «Buckethead» = «Death Cube K»
• «Daniel Clowes» = «Enid Coleslaw»
• «Siobhán Donaghy» = «Shanghai Nobody»
• «Glen Duncan» = «Declan Gunn»^[36]
• «(Theodor) Geisel» = «(Theo) Le Sieg»
• «Edward Gorey» = «Ogdred Weary», = «Regera Dowdy» or = «E. G. Deadworry» (and others)
• «Anna Madrigal» = «A man and a girl»
• «Ted Morgan» = «(Sanche) de Gramont»
• «Lorin Morgan-Richards» = «Marcil d’Hirson Garron»
• «Vladimir Nabokov» = «Vivian Darkbloom», = «Vivian Bloodmark», = «Blavdak Vinomori», or = «Dorian Vivalkomb»

Several of these are «imperfect anagrams», letters having been left out in some cases for the sake of easy pronunciation.

Titles[edit]

Anagrams used for titles afford scope for some types of wit. Examples:

• Homer Hickam Jr.’s book Rocket Boys was adapted into the 1999 film October Sky.^[37]
• The tapes for the revival of the BBC show Doctor Who were labeled with the anagram Torchwood, which later went on to be used as the name for a spin-off show. In multi-episode shows, the program occasionally substitutes the anagram of an actor’s name for the actual name to prevent revealing the true identity of the role (for instance, The Master) being played by the actor.
• The New Wave band Missing Persons’ best-selling album was called Spring Session M.
• Hip-hop artist MF Doom recorded a 2004 album called Mm..Food.
• Brian Eno’s album Before and After Science includes a song entitled «King’s Lead Hat», an anagram of «Talking Heads», a band Eno has worked with.
• Juan Maria Solare’s piano ballad «Jura ser anomalía» (literally «he/she swears to be an anomaly») is an anagram of the composer’s full name. His composition for English horn titled «A Dot in Time» is an anagram of «Meditation», which describes the piece. The title of his piano piece that is a homage to Claude Debussy is «Seduce Us Badly».
• Bill Evans’s overdubbed piano elegy for fellow jazz pianist Sonny Clark is titled «N.Y.C.’s No Lark,» and another composition, «Re: Person I Knew» is a tribute to his producer, Orrin Keepnews.
• The title of Imogen Heap’s album iMegaphone is an anagram of her name.
• Progressive rock group Rush published a song on their 1989 album Presto titled «Anagram (for Mongo)» that makes use of anagrams in every line of the song.
• The title of the fifth album by American rock band Interpol, El Pintor, is an anagram of the band’s name and also Spanish for «the painter».
• Many of the song titles on Aphex Twin’s …I Care Because You Do are anagrams of either «Aphex Twin», «The Aphex Twin», or «Richard D. James».
• In Disney’s 1964 film Mary Poppins, Dick Van Dyke played Mr. Dawes Sr. as the anagram of his name, Navckid Keyd. In the credits, the words unscrambled themselves to reveal his name.
• The title of King Crimson’s 1982 song Thela Hun Ginjeet is an anagram of «heat in the jungle».
• Two albums released in 2022 by Australian rock band King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard titled «Made in Timeland» and «Laminated Denim».

Coincidences[edit]

In Hebrew, the name «Gernot Zippe» (גרנוט ציפה), the inventor of the Zippe-type centrifuge, is an anagram of the word «centrifuge» (צנטריפוגה).

The sentence «Name is Anu Garg», referring to anagrammer and founder of wordsmith.org Anu Garg, can be rearranged to spell «Anagram genius».^[38]

Games and puzzles[edit]

Anagrams are in themselves a recreational activity, but they also make up part of many other games, puzzles and game shows. The Jumble is a puzzle found in many newspapers in the United States requiring the unscrambling of letters to find the solution. Cryptic crossword puzzles frequently use anagrammatic clues, usually indicating that they are anagrams by the inclusion of a descriptive term like «confused» or «in disarray». An example would be Businessman burst into tears (9 letters). The solution, stationer, is an anagram of into tears, the letters of which have burst out of their original arrangement to form the name of a type of businessman.

Numerous other games and contests involve some element of anagram formation as a basic skill. Some examples:

• In Anagrams, players flip tiles over one at a time and race to take words. They can «steal» each other’s words by rearranging the letters and extending the words.
• In a version of Scrabble called Clabbers, the name itself is an anagram of Scrabble. Tiles may be placed in any order on the board as long as they anagram to a valid word.
• On the British game show Countdown, contestants are given 30 seconds to make the longest word from nine random letters.
• In Boggle, players make constrained words from a grid of sixteen random letters, by joining adjacent cubes.
• On the British game show BrainTeaser, contestants are shown a word broken into randomly arranged segments and must announce the whole word. At the end of the game there is a «Pyramid» which starts with a three-letter word. A letter appears in the line below to which the player must add the existing letters to find a solution. The pattern continues until the player reaches the final eight-letter anagram. The player wins the game by solving all the anagrams within the allotted time.
• In Bananagrams, players place tiles from a pool into crossword-style word arrangements in a race to see who can finish the pool of tiles first.

Ciphers[edit]

Multiple anagramming is a technique used to solve some kinds of cryptograms, such as a permutation cipher, a transposition cipher, and the Jefferson disk.^[39] Solutions may be computationally found using a Jumble algorithm.

Methods of construction[edit]

Sometimes, it is possible to «see» anagrams in words, unaided by tools, though the more letters involved the more difficult this becomes. The difficulty is that for a word of n different letters, there are n! (factorial of n) different permutations and so n!-1 different anagrams of the word. Anagram dictionaries can also be used. Computer programs, known as «anagram search», «anagram servers», «anagram solvers», offer a much faster route to creating anagrams, and a large number of these programs are available on the Internet.^[40][41] Some programs use the Anatree algorithm to compute anagrams efficiently.

The program or server carries out an exhaustive search of a database of words, to produce a list containing every possible combination of words or phrases from the input word or phrase using a jumble algorithm. Some programs (such as Lexpert) restrict to one-word answers. Many anagram servers (for example, The Words Oracle) can control the search results, by excluding or including certain words, limiting the number or length of words in each anagram, or limiting the number of results. Anagram solvers are often banned from online anagram games. The disadvantage of computer anagram solvers, especially when applied to multi-word anagrams, is their poor understanding of the meaning of the words they are manipulating. They usually cannot filter out meaningful or appropriate anagrams from large numbers of nonsensical word combinations. Some servers attempt to improve on this using statistical techniques that try to combine only words that appear together often. This approach provides only limited success since it fails to recognize ironic and humorous combinations.

Some anagrammatists indicate the method they used. Anagrams constructed without the aid of a computer are noted as having been done «manually» or «by hand»; those made by utilizing a computer may be noted «by machine» or «by computer», or may indicate the name of the computer program (using Anagram Genius).

There are also a few «natural» instances: English words unconsciously created by switching letters around. The French chaise longue («long chair») became the American «chaise lounge» by metathesis (transposition of letters and/or sounds). It has also been speculated that the English «curd» comes from the Latin crudus («raw»). Similarly, the ancient English word for bird was «brid».

Notable anagrammatists[edit]

The French king Louis XIII had a man named Thomas Billon appointed as his Royal Anagrammatist with an annual salary of 1200 pounds.^[42] Among contemporary anagrammers, Anu Garg, created an Internet Anagram Server in 1994 together with the satirical anagram-based newspaper The Anagram Times. Mike Keith has anagrammed the complete text of Moby Dick.^[43] He, along with Richard Brodie, has published The Anagrammed Bible that includes anagrammed version of many books of the Bible.^[44] Popular television personality Dick Cavett is known for his anagrams of famous celebrities such as Alec Guinness and Spiro Agnew.^[45]

Anagram animation[edit]

An animated anagram displays the letters of a word or phrase moving into their new positions.

See also[edit]

References[edit]

Further reading[edit]

• Henry Benjamin Wheatley. Of Anagrams: A Monograph Treating of Their History from the Earliest Ages to the Present Time. Williams & Norgate, 1862.
• Word Ways: The Journal of Recreational Linguistics. Greenwood Periodicals et al., 1968–. ISSN 0043-7980.
• Howard W. Bergerson. Palindromes and Anagrams. Dover Publications, 1973. ISBN 978-0486206646.

External links[edit]

• nAsagram — A web app for creating anagrams interactively.

Arguably one of the simplest, but also one of the most engaging word puzzles, an anagram is where the letters in a word, phrase or sentence can be rearranged to give another word, phrase or sentence. An example of a simple anagram might be the word «dap», whose letters can be rearranged to form the word «pad». Similarly, the letters in the word «reflows» can be reordered to give the word «flowers». An anagram of the phrase «older and wiser» is «I learned words». Although the concept of anagrams is a straight-forward one, many anagrams are anything but! Read on to discover more about the fascinating world of anagrams — one of the nation’s favourite forms of word conundrum.

What is an example of an anagram?

Detailed below are a variety of different anagram examples, based on anything from single, very short words through to entire phrases.

Three-letter anagram words include: «low», which can be rearranged into «owl»; «pan», which can be arranged into «nap»; and «eat», which can be aptly rearranged into «tea».

Examples of four-letter anagrams are: «dare», the letters of which can be used to spell «read»; «paws» the letters of which spell «wasp»; and «hear» that can become «here».

As the number of letters involved becomes greater, there is more potential to form phrases rather than single words. «Schoolmaster», for example, forms the anagram of «the classroom»; «astronomer» becomes «moon starer». One of the entertaining characteristics of anagrams is the way in which they relate to the original word. «A decimal point», for example, can be rearranged to form «I’m a dot in place». Similarly, the letters in «eleven plus two» can be rewritten to say «twelve plus one».

There is no upper limit to the number of letters which can be used in an anagram, although generally, anagrams with larger numbers of letters tend to be rearrangements of names and places rather than ordinary sentences.

What is an anagram of the word anagram?

The letters in the word «anagram» can be reordered to form the phrase «nag a ram». The plural of anagram (anagrams) can be rearranged into a Latin phrase: ars magna (the great art). The word anagram is taken from the Greek: anagrammatismos; ana — «up», «again», «back», «now»; -gram — letter.

When composing anagrams, it’s helpful to remember that the starting word in the puzzle is known as the subject. Words or phrases which are formed subsequently, by ordering the letters in a different form, are the anagrams. For anagrammatists (people who create anagrams), the skill lies not only in finding fresh anagrams for the subject, but also in devising anagrams which relate to the subject in some way. In the schoolmaster/the classroom anagram given earlier, for example, there is a clear scholastic link between the subject and resultant anagram. In a similar manner, «asteroid threats» as a subject can be made into the following anagram: «disaster to earth» — clearly a phrase with a related theme to the subject.

What is the purpose of an anagram?

Anagrams aren’t just a fantastic source of entertainment, they can also serve a number of other purposes. One of the most intriguing uses for anagrams is as a cryptic clue to solve a mystery of some sort! In the Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown, «O draconian devil, Oh lame saint», scrawled next to a dying man in Paris’s Louvre art museum, turns out to be an anagram of «Leonardo da Vinci, The Mona Lisa».

Historically, anagrams were used to record discoveries by pioneers in a variety of fields. By effectively coding their finds, inventors, astronomers, scientists and similar hoped to prevent rivals from working out what their discoveries were and potentially stealing their information! This is exactly what Robert Hooke did back in the 1600s, when he discovered what is now known as Hook’s Law (the strain in a solid is proportional to the applied stress within the elastic limit of that solid). Until he was ready to share his discovery, Hook referred to his finding as «ceiiinosssttuv», an anagram of «ut tensio, sic vis» (as the extension, so the force).

The use of anagrams as pseudonyms continues into the present time. There are several reasons why a pseudonym may be used: in some cases an original name can’t be used due to legal reasons; in other cases, artists such as musicians or writers may use a pseudonym when showcasing their art, particularly when they have created work in a different style or genre to their usual form. Pseudonyms can also add to the atmosphere of the work: Jim Morrison’s anagram «Mr Mojo risin» was a great phrase to include as a lyric in the Doors’ «LA Woman» track, for example.

Finally, anagrams are created for amusement, to make a witty point (for example an anagram of «drum solo» is «so loud, Mr») or to provide a challenging brainteaser to keep the grey matter active!

How does an anagram work?

As stated earlier, the aim of creating anagrams is to rearrange the letters in the subject word or phrase to form a different word or phrase, ideally one which relates in some way to the subject. Generally, it is expected that an anagram uses all the letters found in the original word. So, for example, although the word «row» can be made from the letters which constitute the word «flower», it’s not a true anagram as there are three letters of the subject word which aren’t utilised.

Interestingly, some anagrams are created so that they are opposite in meaning (the antonym) of the original word. These may be direct antonyms, or simply words which have a contradictory relationship with the subject. An anagram of «Satan», for example, is «Santa»! Whilst not a direct opposite, the contrast between the devil and jovial Father Christmas is pretty clear cut. Similarly, an anagram of «funeral» is «real fun»; «united» can be rearranged to form «untied». Some people refer to these anagrams as «antigrams».

Do anagrams have to be real words?

Yes and no! Anagrams do need to make sense, but may include names or places as well as «proper words». Nonsense words are not normally considered «good form» in an anagram, as one of the main characteristics of an anagram is its coherent meaning. The anagram also needs to be considered within the context of its relation to the subject. For example, an anagram of «German» is «Mr Gena». Without further context, this is a weak anagram, as «gena», although a legitimate word (it’s a part of a bird’s anatomy), doesn’t make sense when pre-fixed by «Mr» and doesn’t relate in any meaningful way to the subject (German). However, if Mr Gena was actually a German teacher, within his educational establishment or to people who know him (ie where there is meaningful context), this becomes a reasonable example of the genre. Unless told differently, it’s usually best to assume that anagrams will be proper words or coherent phrases.

Which word has the most anagrams?

There are several English words which vie for the title of «most anagrams». Although there may be words that have a larger number of anagrams in certain contexts, generally the word which is considered to have most anagrams is «spear» (the anagrams of spear are: apers; apres; asper; pares; parse; pears; presa; rapes; reaps; spare; spear). In second place is «least», which has ten anagrams (least; setal; slate; stale; steal; stela; taels; tales; teals; tesla). It is difficult to predict which words are going to be most «anagramable» as the factors contributing to anagrams are quite complex.

English is a particularly good language to use for anagrams. This is because the language has been subject to a number of different linguistic influences over the years, resulting in a diverse and extensive vocabulary. This means there are a large number of words in the language, as well as a number of different diphthongs and consonant clusters which can be used to broaden the range of words available.

What are some funny anagrams?

Anagrams are a fantastic opportunity not only to display linguistic skill, but also to make people chuckle. «Slot machine», for example, can be reordered to form «cash lost in ’em!». «Intensive care» becomes «I can’t even rise»; evangelist can be rearranged to become «evil’s agent» (!) and «timetable» becomes «bet I’m late». In addition to anagrams which have an evergreen humourous note, there are also anagrams which have short-term humorous value, usually when they relate to topical issues of the day.

Anagrams have been around for thousands of years — intriguing, engaging and a test of skill in the creation. Although today anagrams are usually only found in puzzles or as challenges, over the years they have played a key role in a number of different arenas. Whether you’re keen to solve anagrams, or fancy having a go at trying to create one, you’ll be following an ancient wordsmith tradition! Whether you’re new to anagrams or an experienced anagram solver and writer, they offer an exciting and intriguing word puzzle opportunity which never goes stale.

Anagram definition: An anagram is a word or phrase formed by rearranging the letters in another word or phrase.

What does anagram mean? An anagram is a word or phrase formed by rearranging the letters in another word or phrase.

It is important to note that the word or phrases that an anagram creates must be actual words or phrases, otherwise it is just gibberish.

Anagram Examples:

For example, let’s look at the word “anagram” itself.

These letters can be rearranged to make another phrase:

• nag a ram

“Nag a ram” may not mean anything particular, but that is often the purpose of an anagram. Anagrams are typically meant to be comedic in nature.

What is most important is that the word anagram actually has an anagram—the fact that “anagram” has an anagram makes a commentary about the subject.

• Did you know that nag a ram is an anagram?
• You can write an anagram or you can nag a ram.

You can see here that this is a play on words.

Modern Examples of Anagrams

Anagrams are a great way to make a commentary about a particular subject. In fact, that is their purpose and intent.

Modern Anagram Examples:

Let’s look at some modern and popular anagrams that do just that.

• Term: George Bush
• Anagram: He bugs Gore.

This anagram of George Bush’s name is a commentary on him, the subject. The best anagrams do this. To say that his name actually means something he does or might do, makes this a successful anagram.

• Term: Presbyterian
• Anagram: best in prayer

This anagram of Presbyterian name is a commentary on the subject itself. To say that the term actually means something a Presbyterian does makes this a successful anagram.

List of Anagrams

There are hundreds of different English anagrams. Here, we have compiled a list of our favorite anagrams.

• the Morse code – Here come dots
• statue of liberty – built to stay free
• I think therefore I am – I fear to think I’m here
• monasteries – Amen stories
• meal for one – for me alone
• considerate – care is noted
• astronomers – no more stars
• signature – a true sign
• school student – tends to slouch
• saintliness – least in sins
• asteroid threats – disaster to earth
• a gentleman – elegant man

The Function of Anagrams

What do anagrams do? An anagram is a play on words.

The letters of many word or phrases can be rearranged to form an anagram. However, a gifted writer will purposefully use an anagram to make some sort of commentary.

A writer will use an anagram to make a comment about the subject he is discussing. Anagrams are meant to be clever, witty, playful, and catchy.

For example, an anagram for “astronomer” is “moon starer.” This particular anagram is amusing and smart because the anagram itself is a commentary on the original term.

Writers need to be very selective when using anagrams. They are only meant for a particular tone. However, they are a great play on words that can be add a witty element to writing.

They can also add a layer of suspense. As The Atlantic writes,

• Cameos are a small part of why that might be; arguably the biggest source of suspense from last night’s finale was the fan realization that the first letters of the season’s episode titles make an anagram for “FRINGS BACK.” –The Atlantic

Related Terms and Other Word Games

Palindromes

What is a palindrome? A palindrome is a term that reads the same forward and backward. An example is: racecar.

Pangram

What is a pangram? A pangram is a sentence that “pans” the alphabet and therefore contains every letter of the alphabet. A common sentence is: The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.

Heterogram

What is a heterogram? A heterogram is a word, phrase, or sentence where no letter of the alphabet occurs more than once. An example is: pecuniary.

Lipogram

What is a lipogram? A lipogram is an extended piece of writing where a particular letter is avoided. Often, a writer will try to write a lipogram avoiding a vowel.

Anagrams Examples in Literature

Anagrams for kids: An unexpected use of an anagram occurs in the Harry Potter Series. Author J.K. Rowling reveals that Lord Voldemort’s name is actually an anagram of his given name.

• Term: Tom Marvolo Riddle
• Anagram: I am Lord Voldemort.

Rowling writes Voldemort’s name as an anagram for several reasons.

First, Voldemort thinks he is the most talented wizard. In his vanity, his character would do something so egotistical.

Second, Voldemort believes no one would ever discover this anagram, since, again, he believes he is the most gifted wizard.

Third, Rowling uses this as a clever twist in her plot, a way to have even more buy-in from her audience. Her reader wonders, “Did she have this planned since the first text? Did she have that much forethought? It all makes sense now!” For Rowling’s readers, this revealing this anagram provided significant insight to her writing style and to Voldemort as a character.

J.K. Rowling also revealed a clue about a movie based on her book, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, by tweeting out an anagram to be solved by supporting fans.

Clearly, the author of the Harry Potter series is a fan of anagrams.

Summary: What are Anagrams?

Define anagram: the definition of anagram is a word or phrase that uses exactly the same letters to create a new word or phrase.

Many anagrams have a comedic or satiric intent. The most successful anagrams make a commentary about their subject matter.

To see other literary devices explained, visit our full dictionary page.

Contents

• 1 What is an Anagram?
• 2 Modern Examples of Anagrams
• 3 List of Anagrams
• 4 The Function of Anagrams
• 5 Related Terms and Other Word Games
• 6 Anagrams Examples in Literature
• 7 Summary: What are Anagrams?

You may have heard of an anagram or anagram words. They may appear in puzzles and quiz questions, as well as on the occasional game show. So what are they and how do they work?

Anagrams are words or phrases that can be formed from the letters of other words. For example, both night and thing are made from the same letters. That makes them anagrams.

Examples of Anagrams

Anagrams in language abound. More than three dozen can be made from the word anagram alone! Here are several more simple pairs:

inch and chin

study and dusty

brag and grab

car and arc

stressed and desserts

cried and cider

You see how you can take one word from each pair and simply rearrange its letters to form the other word. Anagrams are particularly fun and interesting for those who use them as entertainment or as tools to teach spelling. In some cases, people might also notice or create certain anagrams to call attention to a notable coincidence.

Advanced Anagrams

Some anagrams are well-known or easy to remember because of the association between the starting word and the resulting word or phrase that comes from rearranging the letters.

For example, consider the relationships between these anagrams:

listen and silent

a gentleman and elegant man

funeral and real fun

These kinds of anagrams reveal an inherent association between words—one that appears to involve more than sharing the same letters.

Consider more such examples:

Clint Eastwood and Old West action

signature and a true sign

eleven plus two and twelve plus one

These types of anagrams can require a great deal of time and thought to identify, but once they are established they make for fun reading and consideration. They can also be used to make a name or concept more memorable.

In certain cases, anagrams may even be intentional. For example, those who have read or seen Stephen King’s The Shining might recall the recurrence of the word redrum, which later turns out to be an anagram for the word murder.

Though you likely won’t often be tested (at least formally) on your knowledge of anagrams, they do prove how lively and pliable language can be. If you ever feel inspired to give your brain a good workout, try taking apart some favorite words and phrases and see what others you can make from their letters!

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Vocabulary

Anagram: List of Common Anagrams, Functions, and Examples

February 19, 2022
Vocabulary

Anagrams are words that are spelled the same but have different meanings and pronunciations. The term “anagram” is itself an anagram of the word “graham”. They can be fun to make and even more fun to solve. In this blog post, we will provide a list of common anagrams along with their functions and examples.

Function of Anagram

The basic function of an anagram is to rearrange the letters of a word or phrase to make a new word or phrase, using the exact same letters but in a different order. Anagrams are very popular and widely used in advertisements and business names. The whole name or phrase is unique and catchy, thus acquiring more attention from the public.

Here are some examples of anagrams: “A big mess” rearranged as “I’m a mess”, etc.

Anagrams Video Lessons

List of Common Anagrams

sadder ~ dreads	state ~ taste	save ~ vase
night ~ thing	players ~ parsley	peach ~ cheap
dusty ~ study	inch ~ chin	elbow ~ below
bored ~ robed	cider ~ cried	cat ~ act
angel ~ glean	brag ~ grab	arc ~ car

Cool Anagram Examples

Cool anagrams are great for practicing your anagram-solving skills. These examples are created by taking a word or phrase and scrambling it up to create another word or phrase. Many of these will stump you!

• young lady ~ an old guy
• video game ~ give a demo
• they see ~ the eyes
• the classroom ~ schoolmaster
• sweep the floor ~ too few helpers
• study ~ dusty
• older and wiser ~ I learned words
• night ~ thing
• meteor ~ remote
• meal for one ~ for me alone
• gainly ~ laying
• funeral ~ real fun
• eleven plus two ~ twelve plus one
• dessert ~ stressed
• conversation ~ voice rants on
• coins kept ~ in pockets
• below ~ elbow
• bad credit ~ debit card
• anagram ~ nag a ram
• act ~ cat

Simple Anagram Words

When you are learning how to anagram, one of the most basic examples is transforming a single word into another. This may sound easy at first glance but can be difficult once you get started.

• Charm ~ March
• Car ~ Arc
• Cafe ~ Face
• Binary ~ Brainy
• Best ~ Bets
• Below ~ Elbow/Bowel
• Below ~ Elbow
• Beak ~ Bake
• Are ~ Ear
• Act ~ Cat
• Wrap ~ Warp
• Rat ~ Tar
• Pat ~ Tap
• Nap ~ Pan
• Listened ~ Enlisted
• Limped ~ Dimple
• Laps ~ Alps/Slap
• Lamp ~ Palm
• Keen ~ Knee
• Impart ~ Armpit
• Iced ~ Dice
• Heater ~ Reheat
• Grab ~ Brag
• Glean ~ Angel
• Wand ~ Dawn
• Waits ~ Waist
• Votes ~ Stove
• Vase ~ Save
• Top ~ Pot
• Thing ~ Night
• Thicken ~ Kitchen
• Taste ~ State
• Tan ~ Ant
• Sue ~ Use
• Study ~ Dusty
• Spots ~ Posts/Stops
• Sink ~ Skin
• Robed ~ Bored
• Fringe ~ Finger
• Fired ~ Fried
• Earth ~ Heart
• Diary ~ Dairy
• Desserts ~ Stressed
• Cried ~ Cider
• Chin ~ Inch

Names of People Anagram Words

Sometimes you need to put your anagram skills to the test. One of the best ways is by anagramming a familiar person’s name, living or dead. Can you spell out the name in front of you?

• Angelina Jolie – Jealous Alien Gin
• Brad Pitt – Drab Pitt
• Charlize Theron – Enrich Total Zero
• Clint Eastwood – Old West Action
• Emma Watson – A New Moat
• Hugh Jackman – Man Jack Hug
• Jennifer Aniston – Finest Joiner, Enjoins Fainter
• Johnny Depp – Enjoyed PNP
• Julia Roberts – Jail Burstier
• Kate Winslet – Stale Twin Kite
• Leonardo DiCaprio – A Cool Pioneer Lair
• Meryl Streep – Termly Peers
• Ryan Reynolds – Narrowly Senor
• Scarlett Johansson – So Can’t Jolt Hanson
• Tom Cruise – So I’m Cuter
• Will Smith – Slim Wilts
• Anne Hathaway – A New Hay Than
• Cate Blanchett – Leant Cab Catcher
• Charlton Heston – Not So Chortles Hen
• Daniel Radcliffe – Rad Elf Inclined
• Denzel Washington – A Non-Lionized Show
• Emma Stone – Ammonites
• George Clooney – O, Lonely Ogre
• Heath Ledger – Hard Lethedge
• Hugh Grant – Rang Through
• Julianne Moore – Joinable Moron Lune
• Keanu Reeves – Eureka Seven
• Morgan Freeman – One From Manager
• Natalie Portman – Atop Trainmen Role
• Nicole Kidman – Dime Conk In Lo
• Reese Witherspoon – Strep Nowhere Else
• Robert De Niro – Torn Bored Brie
• Sandra Bullock – Balks Rounded All
• Al Pacino – A Oil Panic
• Anthony Hopkins – Nonstop Hoot Any
• Antonio Banderas – A Radiant Abner Soon
• Bruce Willis – Criswell Blues
• Dustin Hoffman – Nod Tiffs Human
• Jeff Bridges – Jibes Fed Grief
• Jim Carrey – My Racier J
• Jodie Foster – Softer Dojo
• John Travolta – John Total Trava
• Kate Hudson – Unhated Sook
• Kirsten Dunst – Stunk Tendrils
• Liv Tyler – Ply Rivet
• Matt Damon – Damn At Tom
• Meg Ryan – En Ragym
• Michelle Pfeiffer – I’m Elf Chief Repel
• Robert Downey Jr. – Jet-Down Bury Error
• Sean Connery – Noisy Can Earn
• Susan Sarandon – And So Runs Anus
• Uma Thurman – Mantra Humor
• Wesley Snipes – Spies New Sly
• Brad Garrett – Bad Tarter Rug
• Cameron Diaz – Mad Zircon Ace
• Danny DeVito – Vain Odd Yeti
• Diane Keaton – Anoint A Keen Do
• Eddie Murphy – Drury Empire
• Emma Roberts – Boss Tremble
• Gwyneth Paltrow – Hotly Wept Prawn
• Halle Berry – Heral by Lee
• Jack Nicholson – I Join Conch Talk
• Kevin Costner – Veto Sick Nerve
• Marlon Brando – Brand Normal Or
• Matthew McConaughey – They Match Moment Com
• Meryl Streisand – Lenders Marty Rise
• Michael Caine – I’m A Nice Leech
• Naomi Watts – I Won’t Atoms
• Nicolas Cage – Cooing La Cage
• Oprah Winfrey – Frown Pay Hire
• Pierce Brosnan – Snipe Sober Scorn
• Robin Williams – Blows Million Air
• Sandra Oh – A Shorn Ad
• Sigourney Weaver – Riven Weary Gouges
• Uma Thurman – Unhurt Mama
• Drew Barrymore – Weary Doer Rerob
• Edward Norton – Need Rot Word
• Kate Beckinsale – Stalk Like A Been
• Bill Murray – Rarely Limb Ul
• Tim Robbins – Snot Rib Bomb

List of Four-Letter Anagrams

This list contains anagrams that can be made by rearranging the letters into four-letter words. The list is sorted by word length and then alphabetically within that category.

• Mora ~ Omar ~ Roma
• Isra ~ Rais ~ Sari ~ Sira
• Enzo ~ Zeno
• Elroy, Wisconsin ~ Leroy
• Arlo ~ Orla
• Macy ~ Myca
• Ilsa ~ Isla ~ Lisa
• Elly ~ Lyle
• Carol City, Florida ~ Coral
• Anne ~ Nena
• Paris ~ Pairs
• Kory ~ York
• Flor ~ Rolf
• Egnar, Colorado ~ range
• Chaz ~ Zach
• Alec ~ Cale
• Liam ~ Mila
• Las Vegas ~ Salvages
• Hans ~ Nash ~ Shan
• Dave ~ Deva/Veda
• Alli ~ Lila
• Lula ~ Ulla
• Ilma ~ Liam ~ Mali ~ Mila
• Elin ~ Leni ~ Neil
• Boncar, West Virginia ~ carbon
• Anja ~ Jana
• Statue of Liberty ~ Built to stay free
• Lina ~ Nila
• Ilka ~ Kali
• Eino ~ Ione
• Alma ~ Amal ~ Mala
• San Diego ~ Diagnose
• Lane ~ Lena ~ Neal ~ Nela
• Gina ~ Inga
• Ekoms, Oregon ~ smoke
• Clay ~ Lacy
• Alex ~ Axel ~ Lexa
• Shallmar, Maryland ~ Marshall
• Saul ~ Sula
• Kami ~ Mika
• Etta ~ Tate
• Cary ~ Cyra
• Aino ~ Iona
• Reva ~ Vera
• Jane ~ Jean ~ Jena
• Etna ~ Nate
• El Jobean, Florida ~ Joel Bean
• Aviv ~ Viva
• Leon ~ Noel
• Hale ~ Leah
• Denver ~ Nerved
• Cleo ~ Cole
• Aliz ~ Liza
• Nita ~ Tina
• Ivan ~ Vina
• Garus, California ~ sugar
• Erik ~ Keri
• Ashe ~ Shae ~ Shea
• Mary ~ Myra
• Iris ~ Siri
• Elsa ~ Sela
• Dongola, Wisconsin ~ Gondola
• Arik ~ Kira
• Sita ~ Tisa
• Karl ~ Lark
• Evan ~ Neva ~ Vena
• Cash ~ Chas
• Atokad Park ~ Dakota
• Alan ~ Lana ~ Nala

20 Easy Anagram Words

1. Race – Care
2. Tea – Eat
3. Listen – Silent
4. Angel – Angle
5. Cinema – Iceman
6. Elvis – Lives
7. Ache – Each
8. Stop – Post
9. Dormitory – Dirty Room
10. Election – One Lice
11. Heart – Earth
12. Tar – Rat
13. Act – Cat
14. Stone – Notes
15. Cider – Dicer
16. Star – Arts
17. Stop – Pots
18. Brag – Grab
19. Charm – March
20. Parts – Strap

20 Funny Anagrams Words

1. Dormitory – Dirty Room
2. Listen – Silent
3. Eleven plus two – Twelve plus one
4. Clint Eastwood – Old West Action
5. Desperation – A Rope Ends It
6. Astronomer – Moon Starer
7. The eyes – They see
8. Funeral – Real Fun
9. Schoolmaster – The classroom
10. Mother-in-law – Woman Hitler
11. Election results – Lies – Let’s recount
12. Debit card – Bad credit
13. Statue of Liberty – Built to stay free
14. Western Union – No wire unsent
15. Slot machines – Cash lost in ’em
16. A decimal point – I’m a dot in place
17. Presbyterian – Best in prayer
18. George Bush – He bugs Gore
19. Hamburgers – Shrub manager
20. An elephant – A thin, pale net

10 Anagram Sentence Examples

1. “Eleven plus two” can be rearranged to form “Twelve plus one”.
2. “Astronomer” can be rearranged to form “Moon starer”.
3. “The eyes” can be rearranged to form “They see”.
4. “Dormitory” can be rearranged to form “Dirty room”.
5. “Clint Eastwood” can be rearranged to form “Old West action”.
6. “A gentleman” can be rearranged to form “Elegant man”.
7. “Punishments” can be rearranged to form “Nine thumps, sis!”.
8. “Listen” can be rearranged to form “Silent”.
9. “Conversation” can be rearranged to form “Voices rant on”.
10. “School master” can be rearranged to form “The classroom”.

Anagram Worksheet

Other Lessons:

1. 100 Collective Nouns for Animals
2. +300 Adjectives to Describe a Girl

About Author

Simi

Meet Simeron Khan, an experienced ESL teacher with a passion for guiding students towards fluency in English. With a knack for making even the most complex grammar rules accessible and enjoyable, Simeron has helped countless learners achieve their language goals.