Bring life to your writing with anagrams

Metaphors, rhyme, and alliteration can help you paint pictures with words and add sparkle to your copy.

In looking for ways to keep my writing clever and engaging, I’ve been playing around with rhetorical devices and figures of speech. I’ve been having the most fun with anagrams.

An anagram is a word or phrase that is formed by rearranging the letters of another word or phrase, using each letter only once (dictionary: indicatory).

There are several online anagram resources for novices, including Internet Anagram Server, Word Explorer and Online Anagram Solver. However, the goal of experienced anagrammatists is to create anagrams that reflect or comment on the original word.

Here are some examples:

• a decimal point: I’m a dot in place
• a gentleman: elegant man
• an aisle: is a lane
• astronomers: moon starers
• Christmas: trims cash
• conversation: voices rant on
• editor: redo it
• eleven plus two: twelve plus one
• listen: silent
• my ideal time: immediately
• public relations: crap built on lies
• Scrabble: Clabbers (a variation of Scrabble using anagrams)
• Statue of Liberty: built to stay free
• style guide: dusty liege
• the nudist colony: no untidy clothes
• vacation time: I am not active
• Western Union: no wire unsent
• William Shakespeare: I’ll make a wise phrase
• William Shakespeare: I’m a weakish speller
• writer: err wit

I was unable to find an anagram for anagram.

Though it may not be easy to work anagrams into your writing, playing with these resources can help spark your creativity. Give it a try and share yours below.