# How many four-letter acronym anagrams can you think of? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [March 7, 2012, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-four-letter-acronym-anagrams-can-you-think-of/614988 "2012-03-07T00:12:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![mattomic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3ec8ea/32.png) [@mattomic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mattomic)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2012, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-four-letter-acronym-anagrams-can-you-think-of/614988/1 "2012-03-07T00:12:12Z")
Here’s a bit of a challenge to the teeming millions: how many four-letter pairs of everyday acronyms can you think of that are anagrams of one another? The only stipulation is that the acronyms need to be so common that a reasonable individual would instantly be able to identify their respective meanings. Sure, you can take something well-known like NASA and use an abbreviation dictionary to find out that its anagram ANSA stands for the Association of Norwegian Students Abroad, but that’s kind of defeating the spirit of the challenge. Three-letter examples are endless: PGA/GPA, BMI/IBM, LDS/LSD, COD/OCD are ones off the top of my head where any old dolt would be be likely to know the meaning of each acronym. But four letters is trickier. The only one I could come up with was **UCLA/ACLU** (University of California Los Angeles/American Civil Liberties Union) after several exhausting minutes of thinking, so I turn it over to you! ---
**Author:** ![Parthol](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/dec6dc/32.png) [@Parthol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Parthol)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2012, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-four-letter-acronym-anagrams-can-you-think-of/614988/2 "2012-03-07T05:03:20Z")
How about - ARPA (of ARPAnet fame) - the Advanced Research Projects Agency and - AARP - the American Association of Retired Persons. Does that count? ---
**Author:** ![AppallingGael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9bd4f/32.png) [@AppallingGael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AppallingGael)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2012, 9:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-four-letter-acronym-anagrams-can-you-think-of/614988/3 "2012-03-07T09:41:12Z")
I can think of one 5 offhand; ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Artists and Publishers) and the ASPCA (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals). ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2012, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-four-letter-acronym-anagrams-can-you-think-of/614988/4 "2012-03-07T16:24:02Z")
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