Can You Unscramble These Anagrams?

EDUCATION

By: J.P. Naomi

6 Min Quiz

Image: Guido Cavallini/ Cultura/ Getty Images

About This Quiz

Calling all creative minds! Do you love a good puzzle? Do you love to scramble and unscramble words? Well then, this quiz is just for you! Some may be easy, and some may challenge you ... but either way, we have a feeling you'll really enjoy it! So we want to know ... are you ready to anagram!? 

You see, anagrams have been around for quite a long time. They are recorded in history all around the world. From Germany to England to the United States and across Asia, anagrams have long been created for all sorts of purposes. Everyone from authors to teachers, philosophers to scientists, and even entertainers have all  made a play on words and letters for one reason or another. Some have done it in humor. Some have done it in satire. But no matter what their purpose, we want to know ... can you recognize them? 

It's time to see how well you recognize these anagrams. We'll give you a word to start with, and you provide us with the anagram it forms! Make sure all of the letters are included, we don't want you to miss a beat! 

So, do you think you're up for this ultimate anagram quiz? It's time to unscramble these words now!

There's another word within this word... what is it?

What is an anagram you ask? It's a word or phrase formed by rearranging the letters of a different word or phrase. It typically uses all of the original letters exactly once.

Advertisement

Can you unscramble this to make another word?

When referring to anagrams, the original word is known as the 'subject' of the anagram. Any word or phrase that exactly reproduces the letters in another order is an anagram!

Advertisement

Unscramble this one...

Did you know that someone who creates anagrams may be called an anagrammatist? The goal of a serious or skilled anagrammatist is to produce anagrams that reflect or comment on their subject!

Advertisement

What is this anagram?

Did you know that anagrams don't necessarily have to use all the letters of the subject? However, they normally do.

Advertisement

Can you make another word out of this one?

Anagrams often display synonyms, antonyms or related words. For example, the word oceans is related to canoes because you can paddle a canoe in the ocean! (Though probably better suited for a lake or pond!)

Advertisement

Name another word using these letters...

Anagrams can sometimes portray parody, criticism or satire. An example of this would be "roast beef" turned into "eat for BSE". BSE of course being what we know as mad cow disease!

Advertisement

Do you see another word in this word?

An anagram which means the opposite of its subject is called an "antigram". An example of this is the word "funeral" which also spells "real fun". NOT!

Advertisement

Can you spell another word from this word?

Another example of an "antigram" is the word "adultery". It can be unscrambled into the words "true lady". NOT!

Advertisement

Unscramble these letters ... what do you get?

There are a few examples of anagrams as proper nouns or personal names which change into an appropriate sentence. One example of this is the name "William Shakespeare" which changes into "I am a weakish speller"!

Advertisement

If you unscramble this word, can you make another word?

Another example of a proper noun as an anagram is the name "Madam Curie". The words "radium came" come from unscrambling her name!

Advertisement

Make another word from this word...

Want to know another opposite anagram? "Forty five" can be scrambled into "over fifty"!

Advertisement

What is the anagram seen here?

Here's a real fun fact for you ... The word "Anagrams" itself can even be anagrammatized into "Ars magna", which is Latin for "the great art"!

Advertisement

Spell another word using these letters ...

Did you know that anagrams can be traced back to the time of the Ancient Greeks? In fact, they were then known as "Themuru" or changing, which was to find the hidden and mystical meaning in names.

Advertisement

The letters in this word can spell out another word ... what is it?

Anagrams were popular throughout Europe during the Middle Ages. One person who contributed to this popularity was the poet and composer Guillaume de Machaut of France.

Advertisement

What is the other word found in this anagram?

Did you know that anagrams are often associated with pseudonyms? Even Jim Morrison used an anagram of his name in The Doors song L.A. Woman, calling himself "Mr. Mojo Risin"!

Advertisement

Here's a tricky one...

Many authors adopt pseudonyms in the form of an anagram. For example, Pulitzer Prize-winning American author and columnist Dave Barry writes under the name Ray Adverb!

Advertisement

Think you can unscramble this one?

Did you know that Homer Hickam, Jr.'s book Rocket Boys was adapted into the 1999 film October Sky? See the anagram? Rocket Boys = October Sky!

Advertisement

Think hard, can you find the answer?

This is just a coincidence, but did you know that in Hebrew, the name "Gernot Zippe", the inventor of the Zippe-type centrifuge, is an anagram of the word "Centrifuge"?!

Advertisement

How about this one?

Bill Evans's, American jazz pianist and composer, was a fan of anagrams as well. Did you know that his overdubbed piano elegy for fellow jazz pianist Sonny Clark was titled "N.Y.C.'s No Lark". He later did a composition, "Re: Person I Knew", as a tribute to his producer, Orrin Keepnews!

Advertisement

Can you decipher this anagram?

Anagrams know no boundaries! Did you know Hip-hop artist MF DOOM recorded an album in 2004 called MM..FOOD?!

Advertisement

Ready? Unscramble this one!

Here's a good anagram from the 1980s ... The TV series The A-Team had a Season 1 anagram episode called "Black Day at Bad Rock". It was a word play on the 1955 Spenser Tracy western movie, Bad Day at Black Rock!

Advertisement

Go ahead, unscramble this word:

Did you know that the tapes for the revival of the BBC show Doctor Who were labeled with the anagram Torchwood? Torchwood as you may recall later went on to be used as the name for a spin-off show!

Advertisement

Can we agree on an answer?

Raise your hand if you know who Brian Eno is! Well did you know that his album Before and After Science includes a song entitled "King's Lead Hat"? If you look a little closer, you'll notice it is an anagram of "Talking Heads," a band Eno has worked with!

Advertisement

What do you think about this anagram?

Anagrams are not only found in the entertainment industry. They are first and foremost a recreational activity. The Jumble is an anagram puzzle found in many US newspapers every day!

Advertisement

How about this one?

Familiar with cryptic crosswords puzzles? Well as it turns out, they often use anagrammatic clues to help the challenger. An example would be "Businessman burst into tears (9 letters)"... The solution, "stationer", is an anagram of "into tears".

Advertisement

What is the anagram seen here?

Anyone who loves anagrams is sure to own the game Anagrams. It is also known as Pirate Scrabble, Snatch, Word Making and Taking and Grabscrab. It is a tile-based word game that involves rearranging letter tiles to form words.

Advertisement

Can you unscramble this to make another word?

Did you know that the world is full of anagram games? Some of these include Bonza, Bookworm, Dabble, Jumble, Letterpress, Perquackey, Puzzlage, Word Force, WordSpot, and Words with Friends.

Advertisement

Make another word out of this one!

Did you know that palindromes are technically anagrams? A palindrome differs, though, because it is a word or phrase that forms a word or phrase simply by spelling it backward. "Rise to vote sir" is a great example!

Advertisement

Can you see the word within this word?

Did you know that the word 'anagram' comes from the late 16th century French word "anagramme?" It was formed from Greek for "ana" meaning up or back, and "gramma," meaning letter.

Advertisement

Name the correct word ...

Want another fun one? Did you know that the word "dormitory" can turn into the anagram "dirty room"?!

Advertisement

Pick your battles with this anagram!

Here's a great one ... "Snooze alarms" can be rearranged into the anagram of "Alas! No more Zs." In other words ... wake up!

Advertisement

There's another word in here, can't you just taste it?

Raise your hand if you recall the game entitled "Bananagrams". It was the "anagram game that will drive you bananas!"

Advertisement

See any other words in this one?

Anagrams are said to go back at least to the Greek poet Lycophron, in the third century BCE. This information however relies on an account of Lycophron given by John Tzetzes in the 12th century! Believe it?

Advertisement

Can you decipher this anagram?

Anagrams in Latin were considered witty over many centuries. In fact, they became hugely popular in the Early Modern period, especially in Germany.

Advertisement

Think hard now ... what is this anagram?

When reviewing any historical material on anagrams, you must remember to interpret them based on the spellings of that time period. Spelling, as we know, has evolved over time!

Advertisement

You're doing great! What about this one?

Though this quiz focuses on single words, anagrams frequently come in the form of sentences too! A great example is "a decimal point" which unscrambles into "I'm a dot in place"!

Advertisement

Here's an easy one...

How about this for a math anagram ... Did you know that "twelve plus one" equals "eleven plus two"?!

Advertisement

Unscramble this:

We love it when anagrams are long, challenging and even make sense! Check out this one for example: "the public art galleries" turns into the anagram "large pictures halls I bet?! Nice one!

Advertisement

The plot thickens! What is this one?

It is important to note that the word or phrases that an anagram creates must be actual words or phrases. Otherwise it would not be an anagram, it would just be gibberish!

Advertisement

Last one, give it all you got!

Here's another funny one ... did you know that the name "George Bush" can be rearranged into the anagram "he bugs Gore"! Talk about humorous!

Advertisement

Explore More Quizzes

About Zoo

Our goal at Zoo.com is to keep you entertained in this crazy life we all live.

We want you to look inward and explore new and interesting things about yourself. We want you to look outward and marvel at the world around you. We want you to laugh at past memories that helped shape the person you’ve become. We want to dream with you about all your future holds. Our hope is our quizzes and articles inspire you to do just that.

Life is a zoo! Embrace it on Zoo.com.