List of English palindromic phrases
Updated: 5/20/2026, 7:45:02 PM Wikipedia source
A palindrome is a word, number, phrase, or other sequence of symbols that reads the same backwards as forwards, such as the sentence: "A man, a plan, a canal – Panama". Following is a list of palindromic phrases of two or more words in the English language, found in multiple independent collections of palindromic phrases. As late as 1821, The New Monthly Magazine reported that there was only one known palindrome in the English language: "Lewd did I live, & evil I did dwel (sic)". In the following centuries, many more English palindromes were constructed. For many long-attested or well-known palindromes, authorship can not be determined, although a number can tentatively be attributed to a handful of prolific palindrome creators. Because of the popularity of palindromes as a form of word play, a number of sources have collected and listed popular palindromes, and palindrome-constructing contests have been held.
Tables
· Notable palindromic phrases in English
Able was I ere I saw Elba
Able was I ere I saw Elba
Palindrome
Able was I ere I saw Elba
Notes
Fancifully attributed to Napoleon, who was exiled to Elba.
A dog! A panic in a pagoda!
A dog! A panic in a pagoda!
Palindrome
A dog! A panic in a pagoda!
Ah, Satan sees Natasha
Ah, Satan sees Natasha
Palindrome
Ah, Satan sees Natasha
A man, a plan, a canal – Panama!
A man, a plan, a canal – Panama!
Palindrome
A man, a plan, a canal – Panama!
Notes
Devised by Leigh Mercer, a noted British word play expert.
A Toyota
or
A Toyota's a Toyota
A Toyota
or
A Toyota's a Toyota
Palindrome
A Toyota
or
A Toyota's a Toyota
Dennis sinned
or
Dennis and Edna sinned
Dennis sinned
or
Dennis and Edna sinned
Palindrome
Dennis sinned
or
Dennis and Edna sinned
Notes
Numerous variations insert additional names.
Doc, note: I dissent. A fast never prevents a fatness. I diet on cod
Doc, note: I dissent. A fast never prevents a fatness. I diet on cod
Palindrome
Doc, note: I dissent. A fast never prevents a fatness. I diet on cod
Notes
Written by mathematician Peter Hilton
Do geese see God?
Do geese see God?
Palindrome
Do geese see God?
Do nine men Interpret? Nine men I nod
Do nine men Interpret? Nine men I nod
Palindrome
Do nine men Interpret? Nine men I nod
Drab as a fool, aloof as a bard
or
Drab as a fool, as aloof as a bard
Drab as a fool, aloof as a bard
or
Drab as a fool, as aloof as a bard
Palindrome
Drab as a fool, aloof as a bard
or
Drab as a fool, as aloof as a bard
Draw, o coward!
Draw, o coward!
Palindrome
Draw, o coward!
Egad, a base tone denotes a bad age
Egad, a base tone denotes a bad age
Palindrome
Egad, a base tone denotes a bad age
God, a red nugget, a fat egg under a dog
God, a red nugget, a fat egg under a dog
Palindrome
God, a red nugget, a fat egg under a dog
Go hang a salami, I'm a lasagna hog
Go hang a salami, I'm a lasagna hog
Palindrome
Go hang a salami, I'm a lasagna hog
Notes
Coined by musician Baby Gramps.
I, man, am Regal, a German am I
I, man, am Regal, a German am I
Palindrome
I, man, am Regal, a German am I
If I had a hi-fi
If I had a hi-fi
Palindrome
If I had a hi-fi
Lewd did I live & evil I did dwel; or
Lewd did I live, evil I did dwel
Lewd did I live & evil I did dwel; or
Lewd did I live, evil I did dwel
Palindrome
Lewd did I live & evil I did dwel; or
Lewd did I live, evil I did dwel
Notes
Coined by poet John Taylor, in 1614.
Lid off a daffodil
Lid off a daffodil
Palindrome
Lid off a daffodil
Lived on decaf, faced no devil
Lived on decaf, faced no devil
Palindrome
Lived on decaf, faced no devil
Lisa Bonet ate no basil
Lisa Bonet ate no basil
Palindrome
Lisa Bonet ate no basil
Lonely Tylenol
Lonely Tylenol
Palindrome
Lonely Tylenol
Madam, I'm Adam
Madam, I'm Adam
Palindrome
Madam, I'm Adam
Notes
Fancifully attributed to the biblical figure, Adam.
Ma is as selfless as I am
Ma is as selfless as I am
Palindrome
Ma is as selfless as I am
May a moody baby doom a yam?
May a moody baby doom a yam?
Palindrome
May a moody baby doom a yam?
Mr. Owl ate my metal worm
Mr. Owl ate my metal worm
Palindrome
Mr. Owl ate my metal worm
Name now one man
or
Name no one man
Name now one man
or
Name no one man
Palindrome
Name now one man
or
Name no one man
Naomi, I moan
or
Naomi, did I moan? or Naomi, sex at noon taxes I moan.
Naomi, I moan
or
Naomi, did I moan? or Naomi, sex at noon taxes I moan.
Palindrome
Naomi, I moan
or
Naomi, did I moan? or Naomi, sex at noon taxes I moan.
Never odd or even
Never odd or even
Palindrome
Never odd or even
No lemons, no melon
or
No lemon, no melon
No lemons, no melon
or
No lemon, no melon
Palindrome
No lemons, no melon
or
No lemon, no melon
No one made killer apparel like Dame Noon.
No one made killer apparel like Dame Noon.
Palindrome
No one made killer apparel like Dame Noon.
Notes
Coined by palindromist Jon Agee.
No devil lived on
No devil lived on
Palindrome
No devil lived on
Not a banana baton
Not a banana baton
Palindrome
Not a banana baton
Now I see bees, I won
Now I see bees, I won
Palindrome
Now I see bees, I won
No X in Nixon
or
No X in Mr. R. M. Nixon
No X in Nixon
or
No X in Mr. R. M. Nixon
Palindrome
No X in Nixon
or
No X in Mr. R. M. Nixon
Nurse, I spy gypsies, run!
Nurse, I spy gypsies, run!
Palindrome
Nurse, I spy gypsies, run!
O Geronimo, no minor ego
O Geronimo, no minor ego
Palindrome
O Geronimo, no minor ego
Oh no! Don Ho!
Oh no! Don Ho!
Palindrome
Oh no! Don Ho!
Oozy rat in a sanitary zoo
Oozy rat in a sanitary zoo
Palindrome
Oozy rat in a sanitary zoo
O, stone, be not so
O, stone, be not so
Palindrome
O, stone, be not so
Pa's a sap
Pa's a sap
Palindrome
Pa's a sap
Pull up if I pull up.
Pull up if I pull up.
Palindrome
Pull up if I pull up.
Race car
Race car
Palindrome
Race car
Race fast, safe car
Race fast, safe car
Palindrome
Race fast, safe car
Rats live on no evil star
Rats live on no evil star
Palindrome
Rats live on no evil star
Rise to vote, sir
Rise to vote, sir
Palindrome
Rise to vote, sir
Satan, oscillate my metallic sonatas.
Satan, oscillate my metallic sonatas.
Palindrome
Satan, oscillate my metallic sonatas.
Senile felines
Senile felines
Palindrome
Senile felines
Sir, I'm Iris
Sir, I'm Iris
Palindrome
Sir, I'm Iris
Sit on a potato pan, Otis!
Sit on a potato pan, Otis!
Palindrome
Sit on a potato pan, Otis!
Step on no pets
Step on no pets
Palindrome
Step on no pets
Stop pots
Stop pots
Palindrome
Stop pots
Swap God for a janitor; rot in a jar of dog paws.
Swap God for a janitor; rot in a jar of dog paws.
Palindrome
Swap God for a janitor; rot in a jar of dog paws.
Notes
Very well-known
Source(s)
and countless more
T. Eliot, top bard, notes putrid tang emanating, is sad; I'd assign it a name: gnat dirt upset on drab pot toilet.
T. Eliot, top bard, notes putrid tang emanating, is sad; I'd assign it a name: gnat dirt upset on drab pot toilet.
Palindrome
T. Eliot, top bard, notes putrid tang emanating, is sad; I'd assign it a name: gnat dirt upset on drab pot toilet.
Notes
Written by Scottish poet Alastair Reid.
Too bad I hid a boot
Too bad I hid a boot
Palindrome
Too bad I hid a boot
Too hot to hoot
Too hot to hoot
Palindrome
Too hot to hoot
UFO tofu
UFO tofu
Palindrome
UFO tofu
Notes
Title of the 1992 Béla Fleck and the Flecktones album, UFO Tofu.
Warsaw was raw
Warsaw was raw
Palindrome
Warsaw was raw
Was it a cat I saw
or
Was it a car or a cat I saw?
Was it a cat I saw
or
Was it a car or a cat I saw?
Palindrome
Was it a cat I saw
or
Was it a car or a cat I saw?
Notes
Many variations of the middle word(s) are possible.
We panic in a pew
We panic in a pew
Palindrome
We panic in a pew
Won't lovers revolt now?
Won't lovers revolt now?
Palindrome
Won't lovers revolt now?
Zeus sees Suez
or
Zeus saw 'twas Suez
Zeus sees Suez
or
Zeus saw 'twas Suez
Palindrome
Zeus sees Suez
or
Zeus saw 'twas Suez
| Palindrome | Notes | Source(s) |
| Able was I ere I saw Elba | Fancifully attributed to Napoleon, who was exiled to Elba. | |
| A dog! A panic in a pagoda! | ||
| Ah, Satan sees Natasha | ||
| A man, a plan, a canal – Panama! | Devised by Leigh Mercer, a noted British word play expert. | |
| A Toyota or A Toyota's a Toyota | ||
| Dennis sinned or Dennis and Edna sinned | Numerous variations insert additional names. | |
| Doc, note: I dissent. A fast never prevents a fatness. I diet on cod | Written by mathematician Peter Hilton | |
| Do geese see God? | ||
| Do nine men Interpret? Nine men I nod | ||
| Drab as a fool, aloof as a bard or Drab as a fool, as aloof as a bard | ||
| Draw, o coward! | ||
| Egad, a base tone denotes a bad age | ||
| God, a red nugget, a fat egg under a dog | ||
| Go hang a salami, I'm a lasagna hog | Coined by musician Baby Gramps. | |
| I, man, am Regal, a German am I | ||
| If I had a hi-fi | ||
| Lewd did I live & evil I did dwel; or Lewd did I live, evil I did dwel | Coined by poet John Taylor, in 1614. | |
| Lid off a daffodil | ||
| Lived on decaf, faced no devil | ||
| Lisa Bonet ate no basil | ||
| Lonely Tylenol | ||
| Madam, I'm Adam | Fancifully attributed to the biblical figure, Adam. | |
| Ma is as selfless as I am | ||
| May a moody baby doom a yam? | ||
| Mr. Owl ate my metal worm | ||
| Name now one man or Name no one man | ||
| Naomi, I moan or Naomi, did I moan? or Naomi, sex at noon taxes I moan. | ||
| Never odd or even | ||
| No lemons, no melon or No lemon, no melon | ||
| No one made killer apparel like Dame Noon. | Coined by palindromist Jon Agee. | |
| No devil lived on | ||
| Not a banana baton | ||
| Now I see bees, I won | ||
| No X in Nixon or No X in Mr. R. M. Nixon | ||
| Nurse, I spy gypsies, run! | ||
| O Geronimo, no minor ego | ||
| Oh no! Don Ho! | ||
| Oozy rat in a sanitary zoo | ||
| O, stone, be not so | ||
| Pa's a sap | ||
| Pull up if I pull up. | ||
| Race car | ||
| Race fast, safe car | ||
| Rats live on no evil star | ||
| Rise to vote, sir | ||
| Satan, oscillate my metallic sonatas. | ||
| Senile felines | ||
| Sir, I'm Iris | ||
| Sit on a potato pan, Otis! |
References
- Appears as a lyric in the "Weird Al" Yankovic song, "Bob".
- Appears as a lyric in the They Might Be Giants song, "I Palindrome I".
- "On Palindromes", The New Monthly Magazine 2:170-173 (July–December 1821)https://books.google.com/books?id=vP2YF5SEn9UC&pg=PA172&lpg=PA172
- Howard W. Bergerson, Palindromes and Anagrams (1973), p. 82-90.https://books.google.com/books?id=pVFD9fffTh8C&pg=PA82
- Michael Donner, I Love Me, Vol. I: S. Wordrow's Palidrome Encyclopedia (1996).
- Rod L. Evans, Tyrannosaurus Lex: The Marvelous Book of Palindromes, Anagrams, and Other Delightful and Outrageous Wordpl
- Richard Lederer, The Word Circus: A Letter-perfect Book (1998), p. 82-87.https://books.google.com/books?id=wHlHFp9zG1wC&pg=PA82
- Ursula Dubosarsky, The Word Snoop: A Wild and Witty Tour of the English Language (2009), p. 69-71.https://books.google.com/books?id=uUluOll8dKwC&pg=PT69
- A. J. Augarde, Tony Augarde, The Oxford Guide to Word Games (Oxford University Press, 1986), p. 101.
- "'Truth' Puzzle (No. 55). Assorted Specimens-Good, and Otherwise", Truth, Vol. 7 (1880), p. 317-318.https://books.google.com/books?id=lKc6AQAAMAAJ&pg=PA317
- "Madam, I'm Adam: Palindrome Masters Go Head to Head in Championship"https://newsfeed.time.com/2013/03/06/madam-im-adam-palindrome-masters-go-head-to-head-in-championship/
- "Wordplay: Stressed? No tips? Spit on desserts: the art of the palindrome"https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/books/wordplay-stressed-no-tips-spit-on-desserts-the-art-of-the-palindrome-20160926-groi8p.html
- The Galaxy, Vol. 1https://books.google.com/books?id=-IMAAAAAYAAJ&dq=%22ere+i+saw+elba%22+date:1865-1866&pg=PA439
- Elinor Miller, A Banner Handbook for Homeschoolers (2009), p. 76.
- Joel Sherzer, Speech Play and Verbal Art (2010), p. 71.https://books.google.com/books?id=NytMAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA71
- A. Ross Eckler: Leigh Mercer, Palindromist. In: Word Ways. Volume 24, Issue 3, 1991, Article 2, p. 131–138 .https://digitalcommons.butler.edu/wordways/vol24/iss3/2/
- Published in Notes and Queries, 13 Nov. 1948, according to The Yale Book of Quotations, F. R. Shapiro, ed. (2006, ISBN 0
- "It's 5/11/15: Happy palindrome week!"https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2015/05/11/its-51115-happy-palindrome-week.html
- The Columbus Dispatchhttps://www.dispatch.com/story/lifestyle/2022/02/22/palindrome-date-2-22-22-auspicious-time-many/6831610001/
- David Fuhrer, Marvin Silbermintz, Backwords: The Secret Language of Talking Backwards (2007), p. 64.https://books.google.com/books?id=oEHau0e7h0sC&pg=PA64