A palindrome reads the same forward and backward, as in the words level, radar, and civic.

The longer version

Symmetry about the middle letter is what makes level, radar and civic survive reversal: each letter mirrors a partner at an equal distance from the centre, so reading right to left reproduces the original order. Longer examples must obey the same rule at every step, which is why palindromic sentences quickly become contrived.

The idea is far older than English. A Latin word square found carved at Pompeii reads the same in four directions, and geneticists borrowed the term for DNA sequences that match their own reverse complement. Word play of this kind tends to ignore spacing and punctuation, since the constraint is already demanding enough without worrying about capitals.

Where this entry sits

This category gathers small surprises about the English language, from odd spelling rules to words that quietly hide their own history. Expect palindromes, punctuation oddities, borrowed terms, and the strange ways writing systems record spoken speech. The full list sits on the Words and Language page, where every entry is listed in order.