# 4 letters with the most anagrams? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [May 24, 2016, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/4-letters-with-the-most-anagrams/755562 "2016-05-24T17:15:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![StarvingButStrong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/starvingbutstrong/32/335_2.png) [@StarvingButStrong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StarvingButStrong)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2016, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/4-letters-with-the-most-anagrams/755562/1 "2016-05-24T17:15:11Z")
(Not sure if this is the right forum, but it came up during a Scrabble game) Is there any group of four letters that anagram into more English words than OPST? (5: opts, post, pots, stop, tops) ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2016, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/4-letters-with-the-most-anagrams/755562/2 "2016-05-24T17:21:47Z")
> [@StarvingButStrong](#): > > (Not sure if this is the right forum, but it came up during a Scrabble game) > > Is there any group of four letters that anagram into more English words than OPST? > > (5: opts, post, pots, stop, tops) 6: opts, post, pots, stop, tops, _ **spot** _ ---
**Author:** ![Obeseus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbce88/32.png) [@Obeseus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Obeseus)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2016, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/4-letters-with-the-most-anagrams/755562/3 "2016-05-24T18:42:06Z")
Assuming that is first, is this second? - nips pins snip pins ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2016, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/4-letters-with-the-most-anagrams/755562/4 "2016-05-24T19:54:27Z")
AEST has five or six depending on how strict you are: east, eats, sate, seat, teas, and possibly tase ---
**Author:** ![Sternvogel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc79bd/32.png) [@Sternvogel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sternvogel)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2016, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/4-letters-with-the-most-anagrams/755562/5 "2016-05-24T21:46:21Z")
A letter combination that arguably has seven: ARES – plural of _are_ (the unit of area most known when prefixed by _hect_) ARSE – vulgar slang for “buttocks” EARS – organs of hearing ERAS – historic periods RASE – variant of _raze_ (to demolish, as a building) SEAR – to burn SERA – plural of _serum_, watery bodily fluid ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2016, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/4-letters-with-the-most-anagrams/755562/6 "2016-05-24T21:56:09Z")
Given that the theoretical maximum would be 24, I’d be highly surprised if the record were as low as seven. ---
**Author:** ![Do\_Not\_Taunt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/do_not_taunt/32/2968_2.png) [@Do\_Not\_Taunt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Do_Not_Taunt)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2016, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/4-letters-with-the-most-anagrams/755562/7 "2016-05-24T23:01:15Z")
> [@Obeseus](#): > > Assuming that is first, is this second? - nips pins snip pins +spin ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2016, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/4-letters-with-the-most-anagrams/755562/8 "2016-05-24T23:14:09Z")
[spoiler]A small program working from a large word list gives me 7 as the max. The top contenders (with 5 or more words): 7: sera, rase, arse, sear, eras, ares, ears 6: stop, tops, pots, opts, spot, post 5: tsar, star, tars, rats, arts 5: soph, posh, shop, hosp, hops 5: vile, live, levi, veil, evil 5: sore, rose, roes, ores, eros 5: twas, wats, taws, swat, wast 5: vela, leva, vale, lave, veal 5: meta, tame, mate, team, meat 5: lira, rial, rail, liar, lair 5: trap, tarp, prat, rapt, part 5: rape, pare, reap, pear, aper 5: sure, ruse, user, suer, rues 5: sate, teas, eats, seat, east 5: sole, sloe, lose, oles, leos **Sternvogel** wins, it seems. [/spoiler] ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2016, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/4-letters-with-the-most-anagrams/755562/9 "2016-05-24T23:49:19Z")
And for completeness, the best combinations by letter count: [spoiler]1 (100.0%): a 2 (100.0%): ah, ha 4 (66.7%): ate, eat, eta, tea 7 (29.2%): ares, arse, ears, eras, rase, sear, sera 10 (8.3%): apers, apres, asper, pares, parse, pears, rapes, reaps, spare, spear 9 (1.3%): capers, casper, crapes, escarp, pacers, parsec, recaps, scrape, spacer 6 (0.1%): enviers, inverse, veiners, veneris, venires, versine 6 (0.0%): alerting, altering, integral, relating, tanglier, triangle 4 (0.0%): erections, neoterics, resection, secretion 4 (0.0%): discounter, introduces, rediscount, reductions 3 (0.0%): activations, cavitations, vacationist 2 (0.0%): broadcasters, rebroadcasts 2 (0.0%): impersonating, impregnations 2 (0.0%): conservational, conversational 2 (0.0%): radiotelegraphy, teleradiography 2 (0.0%): microphotography, photomicrography 2 (0.0%): microphotographic, photomicrographic 1 (0.0%): unconstitutionally 1 (0.0%): antiparliamentarian 1 (0.0%): physiopathologically 1 (0.0%): microradiographically 1 (0.0%): electroencephalography 1 (0.0%): disestablismentarianism 1 (0.0%): antidisestablishmentarian 1 (0.0%): antidisestablishmentarianism Fraction of total permutation count is in parens. [/spoiler] ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2016, 10:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/4-letters-with-the-most-anagrams/755562/10 "2016-05-25T10:15:02Z")
Can we allow Esra? That would make 8. ---
**Author:** ![StarvingButStrong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/starvingbutstrong/32/335_2.png) [@StarvingButStrong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StarvingButStrong)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2016, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/4-letters-with-the-most-anagrams/755562/11 "2016-05-26T14:00:26Z")
> [@Sternvogel](#): > > A letter combination that arguably has seven: > > ARES – plural of _are_ (the unit of area most known when prefixed by _hect_) > ARSE – vulgar slang for “buttocks” > EARS – organs of hearing > ERAS – historic periods > RASE – variant of _raze_ (to demolish, as a building) > SEAR – to burn > SERA – plural of _serum_, watery bodily fluid Excellent! I will amaze the rest at our next games get together. 🙂 And kudos to Dr, Strangelove for nailing it down. The five and six letter results are especially nice. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2016, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/4-letters-with-the-most-anagrams/755562/12 "2016-05-26T18:15:53Z")
Coincidence that **Dr. Strangelove** is an anagram of **Rad Sternvogel** ;)? ---
**Author:** ![OffByOne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/45deac/32.png) [@OffByOne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OffByOne)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2016, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/4-letters-with-the-most-anagrams/755562/13 "2016-06-21T17:49:08Z")
ATES EAST EATS ETAS SATE SEAT SETA TASE TEAS Reference: Official Scrabble Players Dictionary ---
**Author:** ![OffByOne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/45deac/32.png) [@OffByOne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OffByOne)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2016, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/4-letters-with-the-most-anagrams/755562/14 "2016-06-21T18:00:58Z")
> [@Dr.Strangelove](#): > > And for completeness, the best combinations by letter count: > > [spoiler]1 (100.0%): a > 2 (100.0%): ah, ha > 4 (66.7%): ate, eat, eta, tea > 7 (29.2%): ares, arse, ears, eras, rase, sear, sera > 10 (8.3%): apers, apres, asper, pares, parse, pears, rapes, reaps, spare, spear > 9 (1.3%): capers, casper, crapes, escarp, pacers, parsec, recaps, scrape, spacer > 6 (0.1%): enviers, inverse, veiners, veneris, venires, versine > 6 (0.0%): alerting, altering, integral, relating, tanglier, triangle > 4 (0.0%): erections, neoterics, resection, secretion > 4 (0.0%): discounter, introduces, rediscount, reductions > 3 (0.0%): activations, cavitations, vacationist > 2 (0.0%): broadcasters, rebroadcasts > 2 (0.0%): impersonating, impregnations > 2 (0.0%): conservational, conversational > 2 (0.0%): radiotelegraphy, teleradiography > 2 (0.0%): microphotography, photomicrography > 2 (0.0%): microphotographic, photomicrographic > 1 (0.0%): unconstitutionally > 1 (0.0%): antiparliamentarian > 1 (0.0%): physiopathologically > 1 (0.0%): microradiographically > 1 (0.0%): electroencephalography > 1 (0.0%): disestablismentarianism > 1 (0.0%): antidisestablishmentarian > 1 (0.0%): antidisestablishmentarianism > > Fraction of total permutation count is in parens. > [/spoiler] Two letter words WITH 100%: AA AB, BA AD, DA AH, HA AL, LA AM, MA AN, NA AT, TA AY, YA DE, ED DO, OD EF, FE EH, HE EM, ME EN, NE ER, RE HO, OH IT, TI MM MO, OM MU, UM NO, ON NU, UN OP, PO OW, WO OY, YO Three letters with 100%: EEW, EWE, WEE HOO, OHO, OOH MMM Three letters with 83.3%: ATE, EAT, ETA, TAE, TEA Source: Official Scrabble Players Dictionary