How many palindromes and palindrome sentences are there? Tons! Especially if you look at other languages.
In Spanish, there’s YO SOY, which means “I am,” and LA RUTA NATURAL, which means “the natural route,” and ANITA LAVA LA TINA, which means “Anita washes the tub.”
In French, there’s ÉTÉ, which is “summer,” and ÉSOPE RESTE ICE ET SE REPOSE, which, believe it or not, means “Aesop stays here and rests.”
And that’s just for starters!
A total stickler might argue that true palindromes cannot have commas or colons or periods or apostrophes. But Ava Wren is more of a word nerd than a stickler. So here’s her current list, in alphabetical order:
ABLE WAS I ERE I SAW ELBA.
A DOG! A PANIC IN A PAGODA!
AH HA
A.K.A.
A MAN, A PLAN, A CANAL: PANAMA
A NUT FOR A JAR OF TUNA
ARE WE NOT DRAWN ONWARD, WE FEW, TO NEW ERA?
A SANTA AT NASA!
A SANTA LIVED AS A DEVIL AT NASA.
AS I PEE, SIR, I SEE PISA!
A TOYOTA
A TOYOTA’S A TOYOTA
ANNA
AVA
BIB
BOB
BOOB
BORROW OR ROB
CAIN: A MANIAC
DAD
DEED
DEIFIED
DENNIS SINNED.
DESSERTS, I STRESSED!
DID
DID I DO, O GOD, DID I AS I SAID I’D DO? GOOD, I DID!
DON’T NOD.
DUD
DOG DOO? GOOD GOD!
DO GEESE SEE GOD?
DRAB BARD
DRAWN ONWARD
DRAW, O COWARD!
DUD
DUMB MOBS BOMB MUD.
DUMB MUD
ED IS ON NO SIDE.
ELLE
ENID AND EDNA DINE.
EVA, CAN I STAB BATS IN A CAVE?
EVADE ME, DAVE!
EVE
EVIL OLIVE
EYE
FLEE TO ME, REMOTE ELF!
FUN ENUF
GAG
GIG
GNU DUNG
GO HANG A SALAMI, I’M A LASAGNA HOG!
GOLD LOG
HANNAH
HE DID, EH?
HE LIVED AS A DEVIL, EH?
HE WON A TOYOTA NOW, EH?
HOHOHOH
HUH
I DID, DID I?
I’M, ALAS, A SALAMI.
I MOAN, NAOMI!
IN WORDS, ALAS, DROWN I.
I PREFER PI.
KAYAK
KOOK
LEVEL
L’IL
LION IN OIL
LIVE NOT ON EVIL!
LLAMA MALL
LOL
LONELY TYLENOL
MA IS AS SELFLESS AS I AM.
MADAM
MADAM I’M ADAM
MADAM, IN EDEN I’M ADAM.
MA HAS A HAM.
MA’M
MIRROR RIM
MMM
MOM
MUM
MY GYM
M&M
NIAGARA, O ROAR AGAIN!
NOON
NUN
NAME NOW ONE MAN.
NAN
NEIL, AN ALIEN!
NEVER ODD OR EVEN.
NO, IT IS OPPOSITION.
NO MELON, NO LEMON
NO MISS, IT IS SIMON.
NORMA IS AS SELFLESS AS I AM, RON.
NO SIR—AWAY! A PAPAYA WAR IS ON!
NO SIR, PREFER PRISON!
NOT A BANANA BATON!
NOT A TON
NOT SO, BOSTON!
NOW EVE, WE’RE HERE, WE’VE WON.
NOW I WON!
NOW SIR, A WAR IS WON.
NURSES RUN.
OH WHO WAS IT I SAW, OH WHO?
OTTO
PARTY BOOBYTRAP
PEEP
PIP
POP
POOP
POP POP POP
PULL UP
PUP
RACECAR
RADAR
REDDER
REDIVIDER
REFER
REPAPER
REWARD DRAWER
RISE TO VOTE, SIR!
ROTATOR
ROY, AM I MAYOR?
SAGAS
SEES
SENILE FELINES
SH! TOM SEES MOTHS.
SIR, I’M IRIS.
SIS
SOLOS
SO MANY DYNAMOS!
SOME MEN INTERPRET NINE MEMOS.
SOS
SPACE CAPS
STACK CATS
STAR RATS
STAR COMEDY BY DEMOCRATS!
STELLA WON NO WALLETS.
STEP ON NO PETS.
SUE US
TACO CAT
TATTARRATTAT
TOO BAD I HID A BOOT.
TOP SPOT
TOO HOT TO HOOT
TOOT
TOT
TUT
VIV
WAS IT A BAT I SAW?
WAS IT A CAT I SAW?
WAS IT A CAR OR A CAT I SAW?
WONTON? NOT NOW.
WOW
XOX
YAY
YO BANANA BOY!
ZZZ
and
#AMMIT I’M MAD
Oh wait, here’s one more:
AIBOHPHOBIA
It means the irrational fear of palindromes!