The Most Perfectly Symmetrical Words in English

There are some English words that people absolutely HATE, like moist or fester. Other words sound very pretty—even magical—like effervescent. Then there are the very satisfying, perfectly symmetrical words that are so special, they get their own name: palindromes.

What Is a Palindrome?

A palindrome is a word that is spelled exactly the same frontwards and backwards. If you drew a line through a palindrome right down the middle, it’d have the same letters on either side of the line. Words like race car and mom are good examples.

The word palindrome comes from the Greek word palindromos, which literally means “running back again” (palin = “back” or “again”; -dromos = “to run”). With so many complicated and seemingly random English words out there, having perfect symmetry in a word is both rare and super satisfying.

Although there aren’t many palindromes in English, there are still a few that you probably use every day without even thinking about it! Here are 17 of the most common English palindromes, with definitions from Merriam-Webster.

The 17 Most Common English Palindromes

Civic

of or relating to a citizen, a city, citizenship, or community affairs

Dad

a male parent

Deed

something that is done; a signed and usually sealed instrument containing some legal transfer, bargain, or contract

Kayak

a light narrow boat that has both ends tapered to a point, is propelled by a double-bladed paddle, and often has a closed top except for an opening in which the paddler sits with the legs extended straight out in front

Kook

one whose ideas or actions are eccentric, fantastic, or insane

Level

the magnitude of a quantity considered in relation to an arbitrary reference value; a measurement of the difference of altitude of two points by means of a level

Madam

lady — used without a name as a form of respectful or polite address to a woman

Mom

a female parent

Noon

12 o’clock at midday

Pep

brisk energy or initiative and high spirits

Race car

a very fast car that is used in professional auto racing

Radar

a device or system consisting usually of a synchronized radio transmitter and receiver that emits radio waves and processes their reflections for display and is used especially for detecting and locating objects (such as aircraft) or surface features (as of a planet)

Refer

to think of, regard, or classify within a general category or group

Rotator

one that rotates or causes rotation

Rotor

a part that revolves in a stationary part

Tenet

a principle, belief, or doctrine generally held to be true

Wow

used to express strong feeling (such as pleasure or surprise)

The Longest Palindromes

Most of those palindromes are fairly short, as things get more complicated the more letters you add in and it becomes difficult to maintain symmetry. However, when you leave the bounds of English, you can find some incredibly LONG palindromes in other languages!

Apparently the longest palindrome in everyday use is the Finnish word for “soapstone vendor” (random, right?), which is saippuakivikauppias. That’s one heck of a palindrome.

The word Malayalam is also a pretty long palindrome. Malayalam is a language that is spoken in southern India.

The longest printed palindrome in English can be found in James Joyce’s 1922 novel Ulysses: tattarrattat was used as an onomatopoeia for the sound of knocking on a door.

What’s your favorite palindrome? Let me know in the comments!

Sources:

• “What Is the Longest Palindrome in English?” Dictionary.com, February 1, 2022. https://www.dictionary.com/e/palindromic-word/.
• “19 Palindromes You Might Not Know.” Merriam-Webster. Accessed October 31, 2024. https://www.merriam-webster.com/wordplay/fun-palindromes-list.