Anagram
An anagram is a word or phrase formed by rearranging all the letters of another word or phrase exactly once, such as listen and silent.
Listen. Silent. Same six letters, two meanings. That is an anagram: rearrange every letter of one word or phrase and you get another.
More examples
- stressed and desserts
- the eyes and they see
- a gentleman and elegant man
- astronomer and moon starer
Good anagrams link in meaning as well as letters, which is what makes them satisfying. Writers have long used them as pen names and hidden messages. Galileo is said to have announced a discovery in anagram form to claim priority without giving it away.
In puzzles
Anagrams are a staple of word games. Jumble puzzles ask you to unscramble words. In cryptic crosswords, an anagram clue pairs the letters to rearrange with a signal word. In "Bread, mixed up, grows on a chin (5)" the answer is BEARD: the letters of BREAD, rearranged, with "mixed up" as the signal and "grows on a chin" as the definition. Other signal words are "broken", "wild" and "drunk".
Tips for solving
- Write the letters in a circle or on separate tiles to break the order.
- Look for common blocks: ING, ED, TION, TH, SH, CH.
- Place the rare letters first, such as Q, J, X, Z.
- Say candidate words aloud, since your ear can spot what your eye misses.
Why it matters to a writer or editor
Anagrams train an eye for letter patterns, which also helps with spelling and proofreading. They are a handy source of names for characters and places, and a tidy device in mystery plots, where a name can hide another. Related forms are the cryptogram, the palindrome and the crossword.
Frequently asked questions
What is a perfect anagram?
One that uses every letter of the original exactly once, with none left over and none added. Listen and silent are perfect. Dormitory and dirty room is the classic phrase example.
How do you solve an anagram?
Write the letters in a circle so you stop reading them in order. Look for common endings such as ING and ED, common starts such as TH, and pairs like QU. Then try swapping groups of letters.
What is an anagram in a cryptic crossword?
A clue that contains a word to rearrange plus an indicator such as 'broken', 'mixed' or 'wild' that tells you to shuffle it.