What Is a Palindrome? | Meaning & Examples

A palindrome is a word, phrase, name, or number that reads the same forward or backward (e.g., noon, 1001). They occur more commonly than you might think and appear in names, dates, places, and other everyday language uses.

What is a palindrome?

A palindrome is any sequence of characters that reads the same forward and backward. Palindromes can be words, phrases, numbers, or names.

Palindrome is a Greek word that’s composed of two root words—“palin,” which means “again” or “back,” and “dromos,” which means “running.” Palindrome simply means “running back again.”

Palindromes are used in everyday language, often unintentionally. They’re also common in word games or as a play on words and present an intellectual challenge that’s entertaining for readers. Writers sometimes create palindromes as an exercise in constrained writing—a literary technique that imposes specific rules and limits on their writing.

Unlike the imposed rules of constrained writing, it’s worth noting that palindromes don’t necessarily need to follow typical language rules. For example, “A Toyota’s a Toyota” is grammatically correct and makes sense. However, “Go hang a salami, I’m a lasagna hog” doesn’t make much logical sense, but it’s a palindrome nonetheless.

Palindrome examples

Palindromes can be words, numbers, phrases, and names.

Frequently asked questions about palindromes

What are some common types of wordplay?

Common types of wordplay include puns, double entendres, paraprosdokians, spoonerisms, and malapropisms.

• Puns: Wordplay based on the multiple meanings of words or the similarity of sound between different words (e.g., “I’m a dentist, so I know the drill.”)
• Double entendres: Phrases or expressions with two interpretations, one of which is usually somewhat risqué or taboo (e.g., “The butcher backed into the meat grinder and got a little behind in his work.”)
• Paraprosdokians: Sentences or phrases with an unexpected ending or twist, often leading to humor or surprise (e.g., “Time flies like an arrow; fruit flies like a banana.”)
• Spoonerisms: Errors in speech where corresponding consonants, vowels, or morphemes are switched between two words in a phrase (e.g., “It is kisstomary to cuss the bride.”)
• Malapropisms: The mistaken use of a word in place of a similar-sounding one, often resulting in nonsensical or humorous statements (e.g., “Texas has a lot of electrical votes.”)
• Mondegreens: Misheard or misinterpreted phrases or lyrics, often resulting in humorous or nonsensical meanings (e.g., “Excuse me while I kiss the sky” from the Jimi Hendrix song “Purple Haze” is often misheard as “Excuse me while I kiss this guy.”)

What is constrained writing?

Constrained writing is a literary technique where writers follow specific rules or limitations while coming up with text. These constraints are often self-imposed and used as a writing exercise to inspire creativity and think within a set of boundaries.

Two examples of constrained writing are writing haikus or palindromes.

Scribbr’s free Paraphrasing Tool can help you expand your writing style by suggesting alternate phrasing.