Word square

A word square is a kind of acrostic. It is formed of several words, all of the same length. The words contain as many letters as there are words. When the words are written one under each other, the same words read both horizontally and vertically.

Word squares that form different words across and down are known as "double word squares".

Examples

Here are examples of word squares up to order eight:

B I T	C A R D	H E A R T	G A R T E R	B R A V A D O	L A T E R A L S
I C E	A R E A	E M B E R	A V E R S E	R E N A M E D	A X O N E M A L
T E N	R E A R	A B U S E	R E C I T E	A N A L O G Y	T O E P L A T E
	D A R T	R E S I N	T R I B A L	V A L U E R S	E N P L A N E D
		T R E N D	E S T A T E	A M O E B A S	R E L A N D E D
			R E E L E D	D E G R A D E	A M A N D I N E
				O D Y S S E Y	L A T E E N E R
					S L E D D E R S

The largest claimed English word squares are 10-by-10 ^*^*, though the examples constructed so far are not universally accepted as they include, for example, proper names, compound phrases, or artificial plurals of non-countable nouns. In the book The Book of the Sacred Magic of Abramelin the Mage, there can be made a 12x12 word square of angels, incubi, demons, and kindred souls, but this is probably a hoax:

I S I C H A D A M I O N

S E R R A R E P I N T O

I R A A S I M E L E I S

C R A T I B A R I N S I

H A S I N A S U O T I R

A R I B A T I N T I R A

D E M A S I C O A N O C

A P E R U N O I B E M I

M I L I O T A B U L E L

I N E N T I N E L E L A

O T I S I R O M E L I R

N O S I R A C I L A R I

Sator Arepo Tenet Opera Rotas is a famous palindromic word square in Latin which also forms a sentence.

Examples of double word squares are:

T O O
U R N
B E E

L A C K
I R O N
M E R E
B A K E

S C E N T
C A N O E
A R S O N
R O U S E
F L E E T

A D M I T S
D E A D E N
S E R E N E
O P I A T E
R E N T E R
B R E E D S

Examples

Lists of English word squares

See also

Gourt Home::Gourt :: Word square

Examples

Lists of English word squares

See also