• 3-minute read
• 21st May 2022

50+ Words That Are the Same Backward

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

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!