# Longest and shortest palindrome **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 17, 2009, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-and-shortest-palindrome/521576 "2009-12-17T02:02:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Patrick\_Mc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5e9695/32.png) [@Patrick\_Mc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patrick_Mc)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2009, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-and-shortest-palindrome/521576/1 "2009-12-17T02:02:14Z")
I haven’t been able to find on the Net what the longest and shortest palindrome is. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2009, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-and-shortest-palindrome/521576/2 "2009-12-17T02:13:15Z")
If we’re limiting ourselves to English, then my vote for shortest is “I.” This one-letter palindrome is of course only slighter shorter than “A.” As for the longest, I believe the current record is the famous book _Satire: Veritas_, which is largely gibberish but at 58,000 words is one impressive palindrome. ---
**Author:** ![Keeve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f07891/32.png) [@Keeve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Keeve)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2009, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-and-shortest-palindrome/521576/3 "2009-12-17T02:32:38Z")
> [@friedo](#): > > If we’re limiting ourselves to English, then my vote for shortest is “I.” This one-letter palindrome is of course only slighter shorter than “A.” I disagree. Neither “I” nor “A” is shorter than the other. However, “I” is much narrower than “A”, and “i” is a bit taller than “a”. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Civil\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d78d45/32.png) [@Civil\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Civil_Guy)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2009, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-and-shortest-palindrome/521576/4 "2009-12-17T02:38:43Z")
O? ---
**Author:** ![SandyHook](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dec6dc/32.png) [@SandyHook](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SandyHook)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2009, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-and-shortest-palindrome/521576/5 "2009-12-17T02:43:23Z")
> [@Civil\_Guy](#): > > O? Well now your just being silly. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2009, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-and-shortest-palindrome/521576/6 "2009-12-17T02:57:40Z")
No u ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2009, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-and-shortest-palindrome/521576/7 "2009-12-17T03:26:12Z")
The longest palindrome I know that makes some sort of sense is: > [@](#): > > Do good? I? No! Evil anon I deliver. I maim nine more hero-men in Saginaw, sanitary sword a-tuck, Carol, I – lo! – rack, cut a drowsy rat in Aswan. I gas nine more hero-men in Miami. Reviled, I (Nona) live on. I do, O God! Try slipping this into a speech sometime. ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2009, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-and-shortest-palindrome/521576/8 "2009-12-17T03:33:04Z")
Pa’s a sap. ETA: On? No. ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2009, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-and-shortest-palindrome/521576/9 "2009-12-17T03:35:14Z")
A man, a plan, a caret, a ban, a myriad, a sum, a lac, a liar, a hoop, a pint, a catalpa, a gas, an oil, a bird, a yell, a vat, a caw, a pax, a wag, a tax, a nay, a ram, a cap, a yam, a gay, a tsar, a wall, a car, a luger, a ward, a bin, a woman, a vassal, a wolf, a tuna, a nit, a pall, a fret, a watt, a bay, a daub, a tan, a cab, a datum, a gall, a hat, a fag, a zap, a say, a jaw, a lay, a wet, a gallop, a tug, a trot, a trap, a tram, a torr, a caper, a top, a tonk, a toll, a ball, a fair, a sax, a minim, a tenor, a bass, a passer, a capital, a rut, an amen, a ted, a cabal, a tang, a sun, an ass, a maw, a sag, a jam, a dam, a sub, a salt, an axon, a sail, an ad, a wadi, a radian, a room, a rood, a rip, a tad, a pariah, a revel, a reel, a reed, a pool, a plug, a pin, a peek, a parabola, a dog, a pat, a cud, a nu, a fan, a pal, a rum, a nod, an eta, a lag, an eel, a batik, a mug, a mot, a nap, a maxim, a mood, a leek, a grub, a gob, a gel, a drab, a citadel, a total, a cedar, a tap, a gag, a rat, a manor, a bar, a gal, a cola, a pap, a yaw, a tab, a raj, a gab, a nag, a pagan, a bag, a jar, a bat, a way, a papa, a local, a gar, a baron, a mat, a rag, a gap, a tar, a decal, a tot, a led, a tic, a bard, a leg, a bog, a burg, a keel, a doom, a mix, a map, an atom, a gum, a kit, a baleen, a gala, a ten, a don, a mural, a pan, a faun, a ducat, a pagoda, a lob, a rap, a keep, a nip, a gulp, a loop, a deer, a leer, a lever, a hair, a pad, a tapir, a door, a moor, an aid, a raid, a wad, an alias, an ox, an atlas, a bus, a madam, a jag, a saw, a mass, an anus, a gnat, a lab, a cadet, an em, a natural, a tip, a caress, a pass, a baronet, a minimax, a sari, a fall, a ballot, a knot, a pot, a rep, a carrot, a mart, a part, a tort, a gut, a poll, a gateway, a law, a jay, a sap, a zag, a fat, a hall, a gamut, a dab, a can, a tabu, a day, a batt, a waterfall, a patina, a nut, a flow, a lass, a van, a mow, a nib, a draw, a regular, a call, a war, a stay, a gam, a yap, a cam, a ray, an ax, a tag, a wax, a paw, a cat, a valley, a drib, a lion, a saga, a plat, a catnip, a pooh, a rail, a calamus, a dairyman, a bater, a canal – Panama! ---
**Author:** ![Jragon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Jragon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jragon)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2009, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-and-shortest-palindrome/521576/10 "2009-12-17T03:51:09Z")
Demitri Martin made a 224 word palindromic poem: > [@](#): > > Dammit I’m mad. > Evil is a deed as I live. > God, am I reviled? I rise, my bed on a sun, I melt. > To be not one man emanating is sad. I piss. > Alas, it is so late. Who stops to help? > Man, it is hot. I’m in it. I tell. > I am not a devil. I level “Mad Dog”. > Ah, say burning is, as a deified gulp, > In my halo of a mired rum tin. > I erase many men. Oh, to be man, a sin. > Is evil in a clam? In a trap? > No. It is open. On it I was stuck. > Rats peed on hope. Elsewhere dips a web. > Be still if I fill its ebb. > Ew, a spider… eh? > We sleep. Oh no! > Deep, stark cuts saw it in one position. > Part animal, can I live? Sin is a name. > Both, one… my names are in it. > Murder? I’m a fool. > A hymn I plug, deified as a sign in ruby ash, > A Goddam level I lived at. > On mail let it in. I’m it. > Oh, sit in ample hot spots. Oh wet! > A loss it is alas (sip). I’d assign it a name. > Name not one bottle minus an ode by me: > “Sir, I deliver. I’m a dog” > Evil is a deed as I live. > Dammit I’m mad. Note that, depending on what we count, it may not be the longest. Sentences can be palindrome around the word unit as well (that is to say, the words are the same backwards and forwards, but not the letters). Edit: does a “nothing” count as a palindrome or is it cheating? If it counts then the shortest is clearly what exists between the following quotation marks: “”. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2009, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-and-shortest-palindrome/521576/11 "2009-12-17T04:01:23Z")
> [@pravnik](#): > > A man, a plan, a caret, a ban, a myriad, a sum, a lac, a liar, a hoop, a pint, a catalpa, a gas, an oil, a bird, a yell, a vat, a caw, a pax, a wag, a tax, a nay, a ram, a cap, a yam, a gay, a tsar, a wall, a car, a luger, a ward, a bin, a woman, a vassal, a wolf, a tuna, a nit, a pall, a fret, a watt, a bay, a daub, a tan, a cab, a datum, a gall, a hat, a fag, a zap, a say, a jaw, a lay, a wet, a gallop, a tug, a trot, a trap, a tram, a torr, a caper, a top, a tonk, a toll, a ball, a fair, a sax, a minim, a tenor, a bass, a passer, a capital, a rut, an amen, a ted, a cabal, a tang, a sun, an ass, a maw, a sag, a jam, a dam, a sub, a salt, an axon, a sail, an ad, a wadi, a radian, a room, a rood, a rip, a tad, a pariah, a revel, a reel, a reed, a pool, a plug, a pin, a peek, a parabola, a dog, a pat, a cud, a nu, a fan, a pal, a rum, a nod, an eta, a lag, an eel, a batik, a mug, a mot, a nap, a maxim, a mood, a leek, a grub, a gob, a gel, a drab, a citadel, a total, a cedar, a tap, a gag, a rat, a manor, a bar, a gal, a cola, a pap, a yaw, a tab, a raj, a gab, a nag, a pagan, a bag, a jar, a bat, a way, a papa, a local, a gar, a baron, a mat, a rag, a gap, a tar, a decal, a tot, a led, a tic, a bard, a leg, a bog, a burg, a keel, a doom, a mix, a map, an atom, a gum, a kit, a baleen, a gala, a ten, a don, a mural, a pan, a faun, a ducat, a pagoda, a lob, a rap, a keep, a nip, a gulp, a loop, a deer, a leer, a lever, a hair, a pad, a tapir, a door, a moor, an aid, a raid, a wad, an alias, an ox, an atlas, a bus, a madam, a jag, a saw, a mass, an anus, a gnat, a lab, a cadet, an em, a natural, a tip, a caress, a pass, a baronet, a minimax, a sari, a fall, a ballot, a knot, a pot, a rep, a carrot, a mart, a part, a tort, a gut, a poll, a gateway, a law, a jay, a sap, a zag, a fat, a hall, a gamut, a dab, a can, a tabu, a day, a batt, a waterfall, a patina, a nut, a flow, a lass, a van, a mow, a nib, a draw, a regular, a call, a war, a stay, a gam, a yap, a cam, a ray, an ax, a tag, a wax, a paw, a cat, a valley, a drib, a lion, a saga, a plat, a catnip, a pooh, a rail, a calamus, a dairyman, a bater, a canal – Panama! I have this mental picture of the “man” loading all these things, people, animals, and abstract concepts into a very large rowboat, which gets lower and lower in the water. Finally the man himself climbs aboard the heap of cargo and passengers and pushes off and through the canal. ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2009, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-and-shortest-palindrome/521576/12 "2009-12-17T04:39:25Z")
> [@Beware\_of\_Doug](#): > > I have this mental picture of the “man” loading all these things, people, animals, and abstract concepts into a very large rowboat, which gets lower and lower in the water. Finally the man himself climbs aboard the heap of cargo and passengers and pushes off and through the canal. I believe that actually happened; the palindrome was actually an inspired newspaper headline. Okay, not really, but cool, right? ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2009, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-and-shortest-palindrome/521576/13 "2009-12-17T04:43:16Z")
I’ve worked “rats live on no evil star,” “flee to me, remote elf,” “unremarkable was I ere I saw Elba, Kramer, nu?” and “Aha, May? A Yamaha” into conversations, but they were very specific conversations. ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2009, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-and-shortest-palindrome/521576/14 "2009-12-17T05:11:01Z")
I saw a really long one in **Playboy** in the 80s that began “Doc, I’m fit.” ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2009, 6:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-and-shortest-palindrome/521576/15 "2009-12-17T06:23:17Z")
Does a single-letter word really qualify as a palindrome? Kinda like 1 isn’t prime. ---
**Author:** ![Floater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/dc4da7/32.png) [@Floater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Floater)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2009, 10:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-and-shortest-palindrome/521576/16 "2009-12-17T10:18:43Z")
If we go outside English the longest one word palindrome is Finnish “saippuakauppias”, soap trader. ---
**Author:** ![Oglomott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/oglomott/32/3543_2.png) [@Oglomott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oglomott)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2009, 10:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-and-shortest-palindrome/521576/17 "2009-12-17T10:55:12Z")
Otto: “Did Anna peep?” Anna: “Did Otto?” Each word in the palindrome is also a palindrome. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2009, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-and-shortest-palindrome/521576/18 "2009-12-17T13:15:54Z")
> [@Krokodil](#): > > I saw a really long one in **Playboy** in the 80s that began “Doc, I’m fit.” **Doc, note, I dissent. A fast never prevents a fatness. I diet on cod.** It’s not the longest ever, but it’s the longest I’ve seen that makes some sort of sense. ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2009, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-and-shortest-palindrome/521576/19 "2009-12-17T13:17:30Z")
Some good “word unit” palindromes: [http://www.fun-with-words.com/palin\_word\_palindromes.html](http://www.fun-with-words.com/palin_word_palindromes.html) ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2009, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-and-shortest-palindrome/521576/20 "2009-12-17T16:03:19Z")
My favorite greeting, which confuses most and amuses no one but myself, is a palindrome: “Yo! Banana boy!” [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-and-shortest-palindrome/521576.md?page=2)