How to Find or Write Palindromes

The word "eye" is a palindrome.

A palindrome is a word, phrase, sentence or number that reads the same backward as forward. For palindromic sentences and phrases, you need to disregard spacing. Once you're familiar with an assortment of palindromes, you should be able to come up with your own.

Things You'll Need

• Dictionary

Instructions

1. Look up some palindromes and study them. Look for everything from simple words to long sentences. Some good places include the websites Innocent English and Fun-with-Words.com (see Resources). There also are books that feature of focus on palindromes, such as "Ana, Nab a Banana: A Book of Palindromes."

2. Write some palindromic numbers. Dates can be palindromes, such as 20/02/2002, when in the format dd/mm/yr. Try to think of dates that are palindromes.

3. Try thinking of simple words that are palindromes. There are many, including eye, peep, pop. Even names, like Bob and Anna, can be palindromes. Write down as many three-, four- or five-letter palindromes as you can think of.

4. Come up with some word order palindromes. In these, the letters from back to front don't have to match, only the words do. For instance, "Run, Spot, run."

5. See if you can string together an entire sentence of words that will read the same way backward. These might come together by using some of the single words you used earlier, but keep in mind that spaces don't count. For instance, "Too bad I hid a boot" reads the same backward, but the spacing is different.

6. Play semordnilap as an alternative game that will get you thinking about how words work and help you create palindromes. Semordnilaps are words or phrases that make a different word or phrase when read backward. The word semordnilaps is -- did you see it? -- palindromes spelled backwards. Other examples include lived and devil, live and evil, stressed and desserts.

7. Read the lengthy palindromic poem "Dammit, I'm mad," written in 1912 by comedian Demetri Martin (see Resources). It gives you an idea of just how much there is to work with.

Tips & Warnings

• Check out the resources list for more detailed information about palindromes.

• If you love word play, you may become addicted!

Resources

• "Dammit, I'm Mad" by Demetri Martin
• Innocent English
• Fun-with-Words.com