Image: Guido Cavallini/ Cultura/ Getty Images
About This Quiz
Calling all creative minds! Do you love a good puzzle? Do you love to scramble and unscramble words? Well then, this quiz is just for you! Some may be easy, and some may challenge you ... but either way, we have a feeling you'll really enjoy it! So we want to know ... are you ready to anagram!?Â
You see, anagrams have been around for quite a long time. They are recorded in history all around the world. From Germany to England to the United States and across Asia, anagrams have long been created for all sorts of purposes. Everyone from authors to teachers, philosophers to scientists, and even entertainers have all made a play on words and letters for one reason or another. Some have done it in humor. Some have done it in satire. But no matter what their purpose, we want to know ... can you recognize them?Â
It's time to see how well you recognize these anagrams. We'll give you a word to start with, and you provide us with the anagram it forms! Make sure all of the letters are included, we don't want you to miss a beat!Â
So, do you think you're up for this ultimate anagram quiz? It's time to unscramble these words now!
MirageC/Moment/gettyimages
There's another word within this word... what is it?
Arce
Race
What is an anagram you ask? It's a word or phrase formed by rearranging the letters of a different word or phrase. It typically uses all of the original letters exactly once.
Earc
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Can you unscramble this to make another word?
Inch
When referring to anagrams, the original word is known as the 'subject' of the anagram. Any word or phrase that exactly reproduces the letters in another order is an anagram!
Nich
Niche
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Unscramble this one...
Elg
Gle
Leg
Did you know that someone who creates anagrams may be called an anagrammatist? The goal of a serious or skilled anagrammatist is to produce anagrams that reflect or comment on their subject!
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What is this anagram?
Atem
Tame
Did you know that anagrams don't necessarily have to use all the letters of the subject? However, they normally do.
Atme
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Can you make another word out of this one?
None
Anagrams often display synonyms, antonyms or related words. For example, the word oceans is related to canoes because you can paddle a canoe in the ocean! (Though probably better suited for a lake or pond!)
Eonn
Nnoe
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Name another word using these letters...
Ipns
Psin
Spin
Anagrams can sometimes portray parody, criticism or satire. An example of this would be "roast beef" turned into "eat for BSE". BSE of course being what we know as mad cow disease!
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Do you see another word in this word?
Ealt
Elta
Late
An anagram which means the opposite of its subject is called an "antigram". An example of this is the word "funeral" which also spells "real fun". NOT!
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Can you spell another word from this word?
Could
Another example of an "antigram" is the word "adultery". It can be unscrambled into the words "true lady". NOT!
Dlouc
Cludo
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Unscramble these letters ... what do you get?
Morete
Remote
There are a few examples of anagrams as proper nouns or personal names which change into an appropriate sentence. One example of this is the name "William Shakespeare" which changes into "I am a weakish speller"!
Metoor
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If you unscramble this word, can you make another word?
Taming
Another example of a proper noun as an anagram is the name "Madam Curie". The words "radium came" come from unscrambling her name!
Tagmin
Tingam
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Make another word from this word...
Earner
Want to know another opposite anagram? "Forty five" can be scrambled into "over fifty"!
Reeran
Rearen
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What is the anagram seen here?
Ghints
Things
Here's a real fun fact for you ... The word "Anagrams" itself can even be anagrammatized into "Ars magna", which is Latin for "the great art"!
Shingt
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Spell another word using these letters ...
Canoes
Did you know that anagrams can be traced back to the time of the Ancient Greeks? In fact, they were then known as "Themuru" or changing, which was to find the hidden and mystical meaning in names.
Nosace
Cosane
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The letters in this word can spell out another word ... what is it?
Stinop
Piston
Anagrams were popular throughout Europe during the Middle Ages. One person who contributed to this popularity was the poet and composer Guillaume de Machaut of France.
Nostip
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What is the other word found in this anagram?
Yearth
Earthy
Did you know that anagrams are often associated with pseudonyms? Even Jim Morrison used an anagram of his name in The Doors song L.A. Woman, calling himself "Mr. Mojo Risin"!
Yarthe
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Here's a tricky one...
Teerha
Reheat
Many authors adopt pseudonyms in the form of an anagram. For example, Pulitzer Prize-winning American author and columnist Dave Barry writes under the name Ray Adverb!
Reehat
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Think you can unscramble this one?
Finger
Did you know that Homer Hickam, Jr.'s book Rocket Boys was adapted into the 1999 film October Sky? See the anagram? Rocket Boys = October Sky!
Regfin
Refing
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Think hard, can you find the answer?
Finder
This is just a coincidence, but did you know that in Hebrew, the name "Gernot Zippe", the inventor of the Zippe-type centrifuge, is an anagram of the word "Centrifuge"?!
Redfin
Rendif
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How about this one?
Tipram
Armpit
Bill Evans's, American jazz pianist and composer, was a fan of anagrams as well. Did you know that his overdubbed piano elegy for fellow jazz pianist Sonny Clark was titled "N.Y.C.'s No Lark". He later did a composition, "Re: Person I Knew", as a tribute to his producer, Orrin Keepnews!
Pitarm
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Can you decipher this anagram?
Sunlit
Anagrams know no boundaries! Did you know Hip-hop artist MF DOOM recorded an album in 2004 called MM..FOOD?!
Tiluns
Stilun
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Ready? Unscramble this one!
Srikes
Skiers
Here's a good anagram from the 1980s ... The TV series The A-Team had a Season 1 anagram episode called "Black Day at Bad Rock". It was a word play on the 1955 Spenser Tracy western movie, Bad Day at Black Rock!
Sekirs
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Go ahead, unscramble this word:
Hassle
Did you know that the tapes for the revival of the BBC show Doctor Who were labeled with the anagram Torchwood? Torchwood as you may recall later went on to be used as the name for a spin-off show!
Elshas
Sashle
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Can we agree on an answer?
Agrees
Raise your hand if you know who Brian Eno is! Well did you know that his album Before and After Science includes a song entitled "King's Lead Hat"? If you look a little closer, you'll notice it is an anagram of "Talking Heads," a band Eno has worked with!
Searge
Eagres
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What do you think about this anagram?
Except
Anagrams are not only found in the entertainment industry. They are first and foremost a recreational activity. The Jumble is an anagram puzzle found in many US newspapers every day!
Texcep
Pexcet
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How about this one?
Safest
Familiar with cryptic crosswords puzzles? Well as it turns out, they often use anagrammatic clues to help the challenger. An example would be "Businessman burst into tears (9 letters)"... The solution, "stationer", is an anagram of "into tears".
Tessaf
Fasset
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What is the anagram seen here?
Noptio
Option
Anyone who loves anagrams is sure to own the game Anagrams. It is also known as Pirate Scrabble, Snatch, Word Making and Taking and Grabscrab. It is a tile-based word game that involves rearranging letter tiles to form words.
Noopti
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Can you unscramble this to make another word?
Sleary
Layers
Did you know that the world is full of anagram games? Some of these include Bonza, Bookworm, Dabble, Jumble, Letterpress, Perquackey, Puzzlage, Word Force, WordSpot, and Words with Friends.
Leyars
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Make another word out of this one!
Splain
Plians
Plains
Did you know that palindromes are technically anagrams? A palindrome differs, though, because it is a word or phrase that forms a word or phrase simply by spelling it backward. "Rise to vote sir" is a great example!
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Can you see the word within this word?
Strail
Trails
Did you know that the word 'anagram' comes from the late 16th century French word "anagramme?" It was formed from Greek for "ana" meaning up or back, and "gramma," meaning letter.
Sliart
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Name the correct word ...
States
Want another fun one? Did you know that the word "dormitory" can turn into the anagram "dirty room"?!
Setats
Satets
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Pick your battles with this anagram!
Battle
Here's a great one ... "Snooze alarms" can be rearranged into the anagram of "Alas! No more Zs." In other words ... wake up!
Elttab
Elbatt
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There's another word in here, can't you just taste it?
Detsat
Tasted
Raise your hand if you recall the game entitled "Bananagrams". It was the "anagram game that will drive you bananas!"
Desatt
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See any other words in this one?
Sister
Anagrams are said to go back at least to the Greek poet Lycophron, in the third century BCE. This information however relies on an account of Lycophron given by John Tzetzes in the 12th century! Believe it?
Retsis
Restis
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Can you decipher this anagram?
Devote
Anagrams in Latin were considered witty over many centuries. In fact, they became hugely popular in the Early Modern period, especially in Germany.
Etoved
Edovet
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Think hard now ... what is this anagram?
Elcitra
Article
When reviewing any historical material on anagrams, you must remember to interpret them based on the spellings of that time period. Spelling, as we know, has evolved over time!
Elctira
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You're doing great! What about this one?
Latiram
Marital
Though this quiz focuses on single words, anagrams frequently come in the form of sentences too! A great example is "a decimal point" which unscrambles into "I'm a dot in place"!
Lamitar
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Here's an easy one...
Eurl
Rule
How about this for a math anagram ... Did you know that "twelve plus one" equals "eleven plus two"?!
Urle
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Unscramble this:
Weiver
Review
We love it when anagrams are long, challenging and even make sense! Check out this one for example: "the public art galleries" turns into the anagram "large pictures halls I bet?! Nice one!
Weeriv
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The plot thickens! What is this one?
Necthik
Neckith
Thicken
It is important to note that the word or phrases that an anagram creates must be actual words or phrases. Otherwise it would not be an anagram, it would just be gibberish!
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Last one, give it all you got!
Sterlan
Antlers
Here's another funny one ... did you know that the name "George Bush" can be rearranged into the anagram "he bugs Gore"! Talk about humorous!
Nalrest
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You Got:
/40
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