How many words do you know that spell a different word backwards?

Question

Examples: tips-spit, tops-spot, flog-golf.

The words can be of any length, 3 letters, 4 letters, 5 letters, etc. I came up with another one: recap-pacer.

Answer 1

What you are describing is NOT a palindrome (which reads the SAME forward or backward) and is more precise that an anagram (in which the letters can change to ANY order).

It is called by various names. The most fun is the one invented by Lewis Caroll -- "Semiordnilap" (the reverse of "palindrome")
http://www.anagrammy.com/anagrams/faq3.html

Other terms are variations of palindrome or anagram, or some combination of the two, such as:

heteropalindromes, semi-palindromes, half-palindromes,
reversgrams, reversible anagrams, word reversals, anadromes
[Wikipedia also lists "antigram", but this term is generally used to describe a pair of anagrams with opposite MEANINGS]


Here's the current wikipedia collection of them:

8 letters

desserts – stressed
dioramas – samaroid
redrawer – rewarder


7 letters

amaroid – diorama
Artamus – Sumatra
deifier – reified
Delians – snailed
deliver – reviled
dessert – tressed
deviler – relived
gateman – nametag
leveler – relevel
reknits – stinker


6 letters

allium – Muilla
amiced – Decima
aneles – Selena
animal – lamina
animes – semina
darter – retrad
Delian – nailed
denier – reined
denies – seined
Dennis – sinned
depots – stoped
dialer – relaid
diaper – repaid
Dibrom – morbid
dormin – Nimrod
drawer – reward
Elbert – treble
elides – sedile
elutes – setule
eviler – relive
gelder – redleg
golfer – reflog
looter – retool
manitu – utinam
nedder – redden
pupils – slipup
recaps – spacer
redraw – warder
reflet – telfer
reflow – wolfer
reknit – tinker
remeet – teemer
rennet – tenner
repins – sniper
repots – stoper
retros – sorter
scares – seracs
secret – terces
selahs – shales
sinnet – tennis
sleeps – speels
sleets – steels
sloops – spools
snoops – spoons
spirts – strips
sports – strops
sprits – stirps
struts – sturts


5 letters (common words only)

Aidan – Nadia
decal – laced
pacer – recap
ailed – Delia
draws – sward
Evian – naive
lager – regal
Miami – I maim
smart – trams
snaps – spans
parts – strap
sprat – tarps
straw – warts
debut – tubed
rebut – tuber
deeps – speed
devil – lived
denim – mined
demit – timed
depot – toped
keels – sleek
leper – repel
peels – sleep
lever – revel
fires – serif
Eliot – toile
relit – tiler
remit – timer
nonet – tenon
repot – toper
knits – stink
snips – spins
loops – spool
pools – sloop
loots – stool
ports – strop
spots – stops
stows – swots
Tulsa – a slut


4 letters (common words only)

able – Elba
abut – tuba
agar – raga
ajar – raja
Amos – soma
auks – skua
avid – diva
Avon – nova
bard – drab
bats – stab
blub – bulb
bonk – knob
brag – garb
buns – snub
burg – grub
buts – stub
dart – trad
deep – peed
deer – reed
dial – laid
dies – Seid
dine – Enid
doom – mood
door – rood
draw – ward
dray – yard
dual – laud
Edam – made
edit – tide
Eire – Erie
emir – rime
emit – time
ergo – ogre
Eton – note
evil – live
flog – golf
flow – wolf
gals – slag
girt – trig
gnat – tang
gnus – sung
gulp – plug
gums – smug
guns – snug
hoop – pooh
keel – leek
keep – peek
lair – rial
leer – reel
Leon – Noel
Liam – mail
liar – rail
loop – pool
loot – tool
maps – spam
mart – tram
maws – swam
meet – teem
mils – slim
moor – room
naps – span
nips – spin
nuts – stun
pals – slap
pans – snap
part – trap
paws – swap
pees – seep
pets – step
pins – snip
port – trop
pots – stop
prat – tarp
raps – spar
rats – star
saps – spas
snit – tins
snot – tons
spat – taps
spay – yaps
spit – tips
spot – tops
stew – wets
swat – taws
sway – yaws
swot – tows
tort – trot

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semordnilap

Answer 2

Dog- God

Wolf- Flow
Top- Pot
Pool- Loop
Spool- Loops

Answer 3

Haha - Pat from Ohio and Davepresco didn't read your question, did they? :-)

There's lots of 4-letter words that fit your category -- evil-live is one.

5-letter example: decal-laced

7-letter example: dessert-tressed

8-letter example: desserts-stressed

Answer 4

Oh, you mean a palindrome.

"a man, a plan, a canal, panama" is one I knew. The second link below has a really long palindromatic phrase. Enjoy!

Answer 5

stressed- desserts
diaper- repaid
embargo- o grab me
Miami- I maim

that's all I got.