What do you call reading backwards?
They can be read the same backwards and forwards! A word, phrase or sentence that is the same both backwards and forwards is called a palindrome. The name palindrome comes from the Greek words 'again' (palin) and 'to run' (drom).
An anadrome is a word whose spelling is derived by reversing the spelling of another word. It is therefore a special type of anagram. There is a long history of names being coined as ananyms of existing words or names for entities related to the thing named by this subset of anadromes.
Palindromes are words, phrases or sentences that can be read forwards or backwards, (“No x in Nixon” or “Madam I'm Adam” being two famous examples). Ambigrams are a kind of visual pun, where the shapes of the letters can be interpreted in two or more ways.
All the dates from 23 February read the same forward and backward. The year 2022 started with the very first palindrome date 22 January, 22/01/2022, while 2 February 2022 i.e 2/2/22 was the first palindrome for the month of February, prompting the people to call it TwosDay.
Apparently, it will be Feb 8, 2080 that will be both a palindrome and an ambigram. The last palindromic date that we saw, however, was February 2, 2022 (earlier this month). In 2020, February 2 was also a palindromic date. But, let us point out that such dates are rare every millennium.
In a semordnilap the text is likewise reversed but it must turn into something different. For example, if you reverse “diaper” you get “repaid”, and if you invert “desserts” the word “stressed” appears. A more complicated example is “deliver no evil”, but you can probably invent better ones for yourself.
Definition of ambigram
: something (such as an image of a written word or phrase) that is intended or able to be oriented in either of two ways for viewing or reading When flipped upside down, it can create the same image, or may form a new image entirely.
Palindrome
A word, sentence, or longer written work that reads the same backwards. Example: A declaration facetiously attributed to Napoleon, "Able was I ere I saw Elba." Weird Al Yankovic's song "Bob" spoofs Bob Dylan's "Subterranean Homesick Blues" using a slew of palindromes.
In the 21st century, an eight-digit palindrome will only occur 12 times. The next time a date will be this numerically pleasing won't be until March 3, 2030. All of 2021 is pretty special, in regards to palindromes.
This has happened twice before since the dates 1/11/11 and 11/11/11, and the next one will not occur for another 11 years – 3/3/33. 22.02. 2022 will never happen again, although there will be a 22.2. 22 in 100 years.
What is the longest ambigram word?
James Joyce coined the longest palindromic English word in his book Ulysses. French novelist George Perec wrote a 5,556 word palindrome called “Le Grand Palindrome”. And English author David Stevens wrote an entire palindromic novel that was over 58,000 words long!
The longest palindrome in English is often considered tattarrattat, coined by James Joyce in his 1922 Ulysses to imitate the sound of a knock on the door.
The longest known palindromic word is saippuakivikauppias (19 letters), which is Finnish for a dealer in lye (caustic soda).
The next five palindromic dates are:
23/02/2032. 04/02/2040. 14/02/2041. 24/02/2042.
Some dates are palindromic. Depending on date formats, palindromic dates can be rare. Aziz S. Inan, an electrical engineering professor at the University of Portland, has calculated that in the mm-dd-yyyy format, Palindrome Days tend to occur only in the first few centuries of each millennium (1000 years).
In some cultures, palindrome days are considered lucky. Perhaps, it is the beauty of symmetry that such dates have to offer, or it somehow signifies some kismet connection, but many couples choose palindromes as dates to tie the knot. Such dates are also closely associated with spirituality.
Reading words backwards helps to keep your mind active and improve your reading skills. As English readers and writers, we are accustomed to reading left to right. To challenge your brain, try reading from right to left, instead.
You read a magazine from back to front
Or you may be reading back to front simply because you can. Magazines are often made up of many unrelated articles, so you could start at the front, back, or center and not miss anything by way of a plot or narrative. If this is one way you like to be spontaneous, go for it.
What is this? Well, obviously it's a very clever palindrome (palindromes are word sequences that say the same thing forward or backward; this one's a super-version, going up and down as well.)
When you read backwards, you will come to understand some of the stereotypes and misconceptions of the present. You will develop a better sense of what is universal and what is relative, what is essential and what is arbitrary.
