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Reverse Pair (Emordnilap)

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An emordnilap (palindrome spelled backwards) is a word that can be read differently in reverse – it is read one way forward and another way backwards. They are sometimes referred to as a reverse pair.

Reverse Pairs (Emordnilap Words)

Below please find a list of reverse pairs. If we missed one, please use our comment form to let us know.

am – ma Noel – Leon
are – era not – ton
avid – diva now – won
bad – dab nuts – stun
ban – nab on – no
bard – drab pal – lap
bat – tab pals – slap
bats – stab part – trap
bonk – knob parts – strap
brag – garb pay – yap
bud – dub peek – keep
buns – snub peels – sleep
but – tub pets – step
cod – doc pin – nip
dab – bad pins – snip
dad – bad pit – tip
dam – mad pools – sloop
decaf – faced pot – top
decal – laced pots – stop
deer – reed rail – liar
deliver – reviled rat – tar
denim – mined rats – star
Dennis – sinned raw – war
desserts – stressed reed – deer
devil – lived regal – lager
dew – wed repaid – diaper
dial – laid reviled – deliver
diaper – repaid reward – drawer
diva – avid room – moor
doc – cod sag – gas
dog – God saw – was
doom – mood sinned – Dennis
dot – Tod slag – gals
drab – bard slap – pals
draw – ward sleek – keels
drawer – reward sleep – peels
dub – bud sloop – pools
edit – tide sloop – pools
eel – Lee snip – pins
emit – time snoops – spoons
era – are snub – buns
evil – live snug – guns
faced – decaf spam – maps
flog – golf span – naps
flow – wolf spat – taps
gals – slag spoons – snoops
garb – brag spots – stops
gas – sag stab – bats
gel – leg star – rats
gnat – tang step – pets
God – dog stew – wets
golf – flog stool – loots
gum – mug stop – pots
guns – snug stops – spots
keels – sleek strap – parts
keep – peek stressed – desserts
knob – bonk stun – nuts
laced – decal tab – bat
lager – regal tang – gnat
laid – dial tap – pat
lap – pal taps – spat
Lee – eel tar – rat
leg – gel ten – net
Leon – Noel tide – edit
liar – rail time – emit
live – evil tip – pit
lived – devil Tod – dot
loots – stool ton – not
ma – am top – pot
mad – dam trap – part
maps – spam tub – but
may – yam tub – but
mined – denim war – raw
mood – doom ward – draw
moor – room was – saw
mug – gum wed – dew
nab – ban wets – stew
naps – span wolf – flow
net – ten won – now
nip – pin yam – may
no – on yap – pay

Source Fry, E.B., Ph.D. & Kress, J.E., Ed.D. (2006). The Reading Teacher’s Book of Lists 5th Edition. San Francisco, CA: Jossey Bass.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Patrick says

    June 15, 2013 at 2:52 pm

    Great list! Can’t think of another word to add to your list.

    Reply
  2. Bob says

    June 15, 2013 at 2:53 pm

    Thanks for this useful post.

    Reply
  3. Gary says

    June 15, 2013 at 2:53 pm

    Thanks for sharing this information – great stuff!

    Reply
  4. Washington Zoe says

    July 12, 2013 at 12:57 pm

    Author, why not add the word you mentioned, viz. emordnilap——as a palindrome of palindrome ?

    Reply
    • Ragesh says

      February 8, 2014 at 5:58 am

      Emordnilap is an emordnilap of palindrome, not a palindrome of palindrome 🙂 but ya it should be included

      Reply
  5. Scott Hinckley says

    November 6, 2013 at 4:13 am

    pans – snap

    Reply
  6. Hallie says

    February 6, 2014 at 1:44 pm

    Bad and Dad are not a reverse pair.

    Reply
  7. Holly says

    February 6, 2014 at 7:49 pm

    Ummm… Bad is not dad backwards. Dad is dad backwards. Bad is the emordnilap of dab. Great list though! 🙂

    Reply
  8. Steve Withington says

    February 6, 2014 at 9:10 pm

    “bad – dad” should actually be “bad – dab”

    Reply
  9. Christina says

    February 7, 2014 at 2:38 pm

    Bad – Dab

    You guys accidentally put Bad – Dad

    Reply
  10. Chuck says

    February 10, 2014 at 11:41 am

    bad-dad : this doesn’t work

    Reply
  11. me says

    February 12, 2014 at 12:16 pm

    bad – dad isn’t one. It would be bad – dab.

    Reply
  12. Melissa says

    February 13, 2014 at 6:48 am

    I think the fourth pair was intended to be bad — dab. Having dad as the second word doesn’t make sense.

    Reply
  13. Meagan says

    February 20, 2014 at 2:02 pm

    Dad-bad are not emordnilaps.

    Reply
  14. Bridget says

    February 21, 2014 at 7:43 am

    I can’t think of a single word but what about “Madam, I’m Adam” or “Madam in Eden, I’m Adam”

    Reply
  15. Bob says

    February 21, 2014 at 10:24 pm

    Noticed you put “dad – bad” which is incorrect.
    Yours sincerely,
    The Emordnilap police

    Reply
  16. Abby says

    March 4, 2014 at 10:49 am

    Bad and dad are not emordnilaps, dad is a palindrome.

    Reply
  17. Doty says

    March 4, 2014 at 3:18 pm

    rennet-tenner
    sports-strops
    spacer-recaps
    steels-sleets
    yard-dray
    trig-grit
    prat-tarp

    etc., etc.

    Reply
  18. ymthyer says

    March 7, 2014 at 8:44 am

    dad is not bad backwards

    Reply
    • dkbossard says

      March 11, 2014 at 1:51 pm

      Great catch! I just updated the post to correctly reflect the word, dab. TY!

      Reply
  19. Anders Birkdal says

    March 20, 2014 at 10:17 am

    No parts – Strap on

    Reply
  20. Marjorie says

    April 1, 2014 at 12:01 am

    Sam All = Llamas
    My son figured this out while not paying attention in 10th grade English. Yes, his name is Sam All

    Reply
  21. Rose says

    June 9, 2014 at 12:15 pm

    You could add bun-nub

    Reply
  22. N'Cole says

    October 5, 2014 at 2:32 pm

    Pan – Nap
    Gateman – Nametag

    Reply
  23. Rena says

    October 13, 2014 at 1:15 am

    Animal=lamina

    Reply
  24. Elizabeth says

    October 13, 2014 at 11:20 pm

    gateman – nametag

    Reply
  25. ty says

    February 14, 2015 at 2:12 am

    spot – tops

    Reply
  26. Glen says

    March 6, 2015 at 11:59 pm

    tug-gut
    spar-raps
    spank-knaps
    spot-tops
    snap-pans
    snaps-spans
    snips-spins
    snit-tins
    snot-tons
    stub-buts
    spool-loops

    Reply
  27. Paul L. Hedley says

    March 11, 2015 at 1:17 pm

    LEER | REEL

    Reply
    • Paul L. Hedley says

      March 12, 2015 at 4:53 pm

      knip | pink

      Reply
  28. W Werner says

    May 31, 2015 at 9:17 pm

    Know wonk

    Reply
  29. Ryan says

    July 12, 2015 at 3:57 pm

    Nap and pan

    Reply
  30. WEREFOLFQUEEN33 says

    November 30, 2015 at 6:21 pm

    loop/pool

    Reply
  31. WEREFOLFQUEEN33 says

    November 30, 2015 at 6:29 pm

    pool–loop
    tool–loot
    evil–live
    meat–team
    tab–bat
    stanley yelnats–stanley yelnats

    Reply
  32. jamal says

    November 18, 2016 at 12:28 pm

    spin-pins
    skin-kins
    part-trap
    stab-bats
    lain-nail

    Reply
  33. jamal says

    November 18, 2016 at 12:34 pm

    wets-stew
    ward-draw
    won-now

    Reply
  34. Ward says

    February 24, 2017 at 10:58 am

    If you are including names:
    remark-Kramer

    Reply
  35. Rajat Mishra says

    October 9, 2017 at 7:24 am

    I think:
    emordnilap – palindrome should also be added to list.

    Reply
  36. bruce says

    February 28, 2018 at 11:04 am

    emordnilap & palindrome

    Reply
  37. Devin says

    May 15, 2018 at 8:44 am

    Warts – straw

    Reply
  38. MaryZita says

    July 29, 2018 at 8:26 am

    how about tips and spit?

    Reply
  39. cassidy says

    January 17, 2020 at 10:51 am

    desserts-stressed

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Quick Fact: An emordnilap (palindrome spelt backwards) is a word that can... - Quick Facts says:
    October 9, 2018 at 7:53 am

    […] An emordnilap (palindrome spelt backwards) is a word that can be read differently in reverse. ex. reward/drawer. Ref: sightwordsgame.com/vocabulary-words/word-play/reverse-pair/ […]

    Reply

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