A palindrome is a word or phrase that reads the same forwards and backward. An example of a palindrome is the word ‘madam’, which reads the same both ways. Another example is ‘racecar’, which also reads the same both ways. A word that can be read both forward and backward is called an ambigram, rather than a palindrome. The concept of ambigrams has been around for many years—the first known example was published in 1655 by English mathematician John Collins. Today there are many examples on websites and in books, and they are growing ever more complex. Here we look at the art of creating palindromes and ambigrams using examples from history to demonstrate how far this art form has come.
A Brief History of Palindromes and Ambigrams
The earliest known palindromes have been around for thousands of years. For example, ancient Egyptians are said to have used palindromic numbers, such as ‘111’, on jewelry and amulets. Other examples include ‘A man, a plan, a canal: Panama’ and ‘Rats live on no evil star’. The word ‘palindrome’ was first used in the late 16th century when it referred to words that read the same backward as they do forward. But it was not until the 19th century that palindromes became a serious study. One of the pioneers of the art was the renowned British mathematician and code-breaker Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle, who published “The Adventure of the Gold-Bug” in 1883. In the story, the protagonist, an amateur sleuth called Sherlock Holmes, solves a puzzle made up of a palindrome. A palindrome is a word or phrase that reads the same forwards and backward. An example of a palindrome is the word ‘madam’, which reads the same both ways. Another example is ‘racecar’, which also reads the same both ways. A word that can be read both forward and backward is called an ambigram, rather than a palindrome.
Ambigrams are words that can be read in more than one direction. They are made by rotating a word 180 degrees and then mirroring it horizontally. The word is then read from either the top or bottom, depending on which direction it was rotated.
The first ambigram was created by John Langdon in 1881. He used the word “abracadabra” to create an ambigram that could be read from both the right and left sides of the page.
Ambigrams have been used for centuries to create messages that can be interpreted in different ways. Some people believe these messages had meaning and were meant to confuse enemies.
How to create a palindrome
The aim of palindromes is to produce a word or phrase that can be read in either direction. The first step, therefore, is to come up with a word or phrase and break it into its component letters. In order to create the palindrome, these letters must be arranged in a different order so that they read the same in both directions. To illustrate this, let’s take the example of the word ‘amid’. First, break it down into its components: ‘a’, ‘m’, ‘i’, and ‘d’, which make four letters. Next, arrange these letters in two different ways that read the same both ways: ‘diam’ and ‘mad’.
When creating a palindrome from words, the first step is to choose a word or phrase. The most common types of words used in palindromes are nouns, adjectives, adverbs, and proper nouns, although some authors also use verbs, prepositions, and other types of words. Once you have selected your word, it is time to break it down into its individual letters. Next, use these letters to create two versions of the word, one that reads the same forward as it does backward.
How to create an ambigram
When creating an ambigram, the first step is to choose a word or phrase. The most common types of words used in ambigrams are nouns, adjectives, adverbs, and proper nouns, although some authors also use verbs, prepositions, and other types of words. Once you have selected your word, it is time to break it down into its individual letters. Next, use these letters to create two versions of the word, one that reads the same forward as it does backward. To find out more about the making procedure of ambigrams, read here.
Final Thoughts
The examples above only scratch the surface of this fascinating art form. For those who like a challenge and have a creative mind, creating palindromes and ambigrams might provide a fun pastime. With some practice, it is possible to create palindromes that are readable and make sense. When creating complex examples, it can be useful to use anagram software. This allows you to input your chosen word or phrase and rearrange the letters to create two versions of the same word.
