How the check works
Two phrases are anagrams when they use exactly the same letters, the same number of times. The checker counts each letter on both sides and lists any difference. Spaces, punctuation and capital letters don’t count, and accented letters count as their plain form (é = e).
It’s worth checking before you print something. Some anagrams that circulate online are off by a letter: a popular one claims “Eleven plus two” = “Twelve plus one” (true, try it) next to ones that quietly drop a letter. Every pair on our famous anagrams page was checked by code when the page was built.
Questions
- Do spaces count in anagrams?
- No. Only letters count, so a word can become a phrase (dormitory → dirty room).
- Is a word an anagram of itself?
- No. An anagram has to rearrange the letters; the same word in the same order isn't one.
- Do the letters have to be in a different order?
- Yes, at least some of them. listen → silent moves every letter except one.