What is a Palindrome?
A word, phrase, or sequence of characters that reads the same backward as forward.
The racecar driver's term for literary enthusiasts
A palindrome is a word, phrase, number or sequence of characters that reads the same backward as forward (e.g. 'racecar', 'level', 'deified', '1221').
Derived from Greek roots, the word 'palindrome' literally means 'running back again'. Palindromes are a fun challenge for language enthusiasts of all ages and can be a creative tool for writers. They can be used for witty wordplay, clever titles, and even as plot devices in literature.
But beware: crafting a sensible sentence that is also a palindrome can be quite challenging, especially when incorporating grammar rules and avoiding awkward phrases.
A palindrome, with its reversible nature, can be used creatively by authors as a literary device. Here are two such examples from literature.
Dr. Seuss's book Go, Dog. Go! has a palindrome title 'Too Hot to Hoot,' appearing on page 28.
Madam, in Eden, I'm Adam is probably the most recognized palindrome in the English language and presents a clever way of introducing the Biblical motif in the contemporary American novel Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace.