anagram

American  

[an-uh-gram] / ˈæn əˌgræm /

noun

1. a word, phrase, or sentence formed from another by rearranging its letters.

   “Angel” is an anagram of “glean.”

2. (used with a singular verb) anagrams, a game in which the players build words by transposing and, often, adding letters.

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verb (used with object)

anagrammed, anagramming

1. to form (the letters of a text) into a secret message by rearranging them.

2. to rearrange (the letters of a text) so as to discover a secret message.

anagram British  

/ ˈænəˌɡræm, ˌænəɡrəˈmætɪk /

noun

1. a word or phrase the letters of which can be rearranged into another word or phrase

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Other Word Forms

• anagrammatic adjective
• anagrammatical adjective
• anagrammatically adverb

Etymology

Origin of anagram

First recorded in 1580–90; probably from Middle French anagramme, from New Latin anagramma; equivalent to ana- + -gram ¹

Explanation

An anagram is a word or phrase that's formed by rearranging the letters of another word or phrase. For example, the letters that make up “A decimal point” can be turned into the anagram “I’m a dot in place.” People mainly make anagrams just for fun, but sometimes they’re used as pseudonyms or codes. For example, the French writer Francois Rabelais published his controversial first book under Alcofribas Nasier, an anagram of his name. The most entertaining anagrams are the ones where the rearranged letters make some sort of comment on the original. “Dormitory” turns into the anagram “dirty room,” and “snooze alarms” can be rearranged into “Alas! No more Zs.”

Example Sentences

My full name is David Lee Roth — it’s an anagram.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 11, 2026

The suit claims that Energy Transfer’s litigation violated Greenpeace International’s rights under the European Union’s 2024 anti-Slapp law, an anagram for strategic litigation against public participation.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 5, 2025

Some of the names being thrown around by fans so far include Arsenal striker Eddie Nketiah - with fans saying the name Dide is an anagram of Eddi.

From BBC • Apr. 19, 2023

The other anagram of “Tár” is, of course, “ART,” and as real-life art monsters disappear from view, “Tár” offers up a work into which we can sublimate our own Schadenfreude and sympathy for abusers.

From New York Times • Dec. 31, 2022

He gave himself a splinter rearranging p-o-t-s into s-t-o-p—the first anagram he remembered making.

From "An Abundance of Katherines" by John Green