# Name for art where words flipped become different words? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 3, 2007, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-for-art-where-words-flipped-become-different-words/402619 "2007-05-03T15:48:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Improv\_Geek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b3f665/32.png) [@Improv\_Geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Improv_Geek)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2007, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-for-art-where-words-flipped-become-different-words/402619/1 "2007-05-03T15:48:33Z")
Sorry for the long title but I’m wondering if there is a title for the art where an artist comes up with a word that says one thing when facing a certain direction and it says something else entirely when facing the other direction. The common examples being “Hello” and “Goodbye” or there was a shirt that said “Love” regularly and “Hate” in a mirror. Anyone know? ---
**Author:** ![J.Z.Knuckles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ecccb3/32.png) [@J.Z.Knuckles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/J.Z.Knuckles)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2007, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-for-art-where-words-flipped-become-different-words/402619/2 "2007-05-03T16:09:19Z")
That sounds like an ambigram, I think. ---
**Author:** ![ianzin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/ed655f/32.png) [@ianzin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ianzin)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2007, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-for-art-where-words-flipped-become-different-words/402619/3 "2007-05-03T17:53:27Z")
‘Ambigrams’ is the term coined to describe the work of genius graphic artist Scott Kim. He didn’t invent letterforms that can be interpreted in different ways - they have been around almost as long as letters - but he did so much to break new ground and achieve new effects that his name has become synonymous with this kind of visual wordplay. To find out more, Google or search on ‘ambigram’ and ‘Scott Kim’. And buy his book, ‘Inversions’, which is utterly absorbing. ---
**Author:** ![Gfactor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9de053/32.png) [@Gfactor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gfactor)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2007, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-for-art-where-words-flipped-become-different-words/402619/4 "2007-05-03T18:02:53Z")
Dan Brown talks a bit about ambigrams on his website: [http://www.danbrown.com/secrets/ambigram.html](http://www.danbrown.com/secrets/ambigram.html) And he links to this site: [http://www.johnlangdon.net/](http://www.johnlangdon.net/) ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2007, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-for-art-where-words-flipped-become-different-words/402619/5 "2007-05-03T18:12:43Z")
But those are spelling the same thing in two directions. Does he do them where two different things are spelled out? Oh, yep, this [site](http://www.archimedes-lab.org/ambigrams.html#open) calls them amphigrams or ambigrams and features a couple which read as two different messages. ---
**Author:** ![Gfactor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9de053/32.png) [@Gfactor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gfactor)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2007, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-for-art-where-words-flipped-become-different-words/402619/6 "2007-05-03T18:28:38Z")
Here is an ambigram generator: [http://ambigram.matic.com/ambigram.htm](http://ambigram.matic.com/ambigram.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Improv\_Geek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b3f665/32.png) [@Improv\_Geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Improv_Geek)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2007, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-for-art-where-words-flipped-become-different-words/402619/7 "2007-05-03T18:35:13Z")
Thanks guys 🙂