What is an Anagram?

Definition of an anagram:

a word or a phrase formed by rearranging the letters of another word or phrase. To be considered an anagram, a word or a phrase doesn’t necessarily have to use all of the letters, but they typically do.

Examples of an anagram:

  • “elbow” can be rearranged into “below”
  • “night” can be rearranged into “thing”
  • “stressed” can be rearranged into “desserts”
  • “rail safety” can be rearranged into “fairy tales”
An anagram is a play on words. Anagrams are generally used to make commentary on a subject. Common uses of anagrams are synonyms or antonyms of the subject. When an antonym is used, it is called an “antigram”. Anagrams are often used to criticize or make a joke about a subject. They are meant to be witty, relevant, fun, and creative.

Creative uses of anagrams:


anagram example
  • “listen” can be rearranged to “silent”
  • “a gentleman” can be rearranged into “elegant man”
  • “The Morse Code” can be rearranged into “here comes dots”
  • “statue of liberty” can be rearranged into “built to stay free”
  • “astronomers” can be rearranged into “no more stars”
See our complete list of funny anagrams!
Use our Anagram Solver!

History of anagrams:

Anagrams have been around since the time of the Ancient Greeks. Back then, anagrams were known as “Themuru”, or “changing”, and were used to find the secret meaning in names. During the Middle Ages, anagrams became very prevalent in Europe. Important influencers like Plato and Galileo used anagrams. Scientists like Galileo used anagrams to keep their discoveries a secret until they were ready to release them to the public. In addition, many writers in both classic and modern literature use anagrams. A common use is taking a name and rearranging the letters to generate a new, unique, and fascinating name that will make their readers curious. DailyWritingtips has some more in-depth information on anagram games as well as mystic amagrams.

Sources and More Information:

https://writingexplained.org/grammar-dictionary/anagram
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anagram          

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