Thinking up words that read the same backward and forward, also known as palindromes, can be a fun brain teaser or way to test your creativity and writing skills. We came up with more than 50 palindromes of all sorts to help you get started!
Single-Word Palindromes
Let’s start by highlighting some single-word palindromes, many of which you may not have realized are palindromes and are likely already a part of your everyday vocabulary:
Bib
Civic
Dad
Deed
Dewed
Kayak
Level
Madam
Mom
Noon
Nun
Peep
Pop
Racecar
Radar
Redder
Refer
Rotator
Rotor
Sagas
Solos
Stats
Tenet
Wow
The longest single-word palindrome in English is tattarrattat, which was coined by James Joyce in his groundbreaking novel, Ulysses, to imitate the sound of a knock on a door – also making it an onomatopoeia!
However, the longest single-word palindrome in any language is saippuakivikauppias, the Finnish word for a soapstone trader.
Palindrome Phrases
When a palindrome consists of more than one word, spacing, punctuation, and capitalization are typically ignored. Here are a few examples of multi-word palindromes:
Bird rib
Taco cat
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My gym
Top spot
And some examples of palindrome phrases and sentences:
Don’t nod
I did, did I?
No lemon, no melon
Never odd or even
Step on no pets!
We panic in a pew
He lived as a devil, eh?
Sir, I demand, I am a maid named Iris
Now, sir, a war is won!
Won’t lovers revolt now?
Was it a car or a cat I saw?
Madam, in Eden, I’m Adam
A man, a plan, a canal, Panama!
Eva, can I see bees in a cave?
Palindrome Names, Dates, and Numbers
Palindromes aren’t limited to just words; they can also be numbers (e.g., 1,234,321 or the palindromic prime, 191) and dates (e.g., the recent “twosday” on 22-02-2022) that read the same backward and forward.
There can be names that are palindromes, even some full names:
Anna
Bob
Elle
Eve
Hannah
Orro
Pip
Mark Kram, a sportswriter most known for his boxing coverage
Sara Baras, a Spanish flamenco dancer and choreographer
Stanley Yelnats, the protagonist in Louis Sachar’s novel, Holes
Proofreading & Editing Services
As long as you don’t have aibohphobia (the unofficial fear of palindromes, which is also a palindrome itself!), why not try creating palindromes of your own? If you’re publishing a piece of creative writing, palindromes are a great way to offer a little extra entertainment for your readers! And once you’ve got a draft ready, we have expert editors ready to help make sure it’s error-free. Upload a free trial document today to learn more!