Word square

Word square

A word square is a special case of acrostic. It consists of a set of words, all having the same number of letters as the total number of words (the "order" of the square); when the words are written out in a square grid horizontally, the same set of words can be read vertically. A popular puzzle dating well into ancient times, the word square is often compared to the magic square, though there is no formal relationship.

History

ator Square

The Sator Square is a famous word square in Latin; found in the ruins of Herculaneum and many other places, it likely predates the Christian era. Its canonical form reads as follows:

;Personal namesBy combining common first and last names and verifying the results in white-pages listings, Steve Root of Westboro, Massachusetts, was able to document the existence of all ten names below (total number of people found is listed after each line):

The following is one of several "perfect" nine-squares (all words in major dictionaries, uncapitalized, and unpunctuated): [cite journal|journal=Word Ways|title=Achalasia|date=August 2003]

Double word squares are somewhat more difficult to find than ordinary word squares, with the largest known fully legitimate English examples (dictionary words only) being of order 8. [http://www.puzzlers.org/dokuwiki/doku.php?id=misc:formrecords Puzzlers.org] gives a very poor order 8 example, dating from 1953. It has six place names. Jeff Grant's example in the February 1992 "Word Ways" is much better, having just two proper nouns.

Diagonal

Diagonal word squares are word squares in which the main diagonals are also words. There are three diagonals: top-left to bottom-right, bottom-right to top-left, and the palindromic top-right to bottom-left diagonal . The 8-square is the largest found with all diagonals: 9-squares exist with some diagonals.

This is an example of a diagonal square of order 4:

Word forms

Numerous other shapes have been employed for word-packing under essentially similar rules. The National Puzzlers' League maintains a full list of forms which have been attempted.

Word rectangles

Word rectangles are based on the same idea as double word squares, but the horizontal and vertical words are of a different length. Here are 4×8 and 5×7 examples:

Again, the rows and columns can be transposed to form another valid rectangle. For example, a 4×8 rectangle can also be written as an 8×4 rectangle.

References

ee also

*National Puzzlers' League
*Sator Arepo Tenet Opera Rotas


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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Word square — Word Word, n. [AS. word; akin to OFries. & OS. word, D. woord, G. wort, Icel. or[eth], Sw. & Dan. ord, Goth. wa[ u]rd, OPruss. wirds, Lith. vardas a name, L. verbum a word; or perhaps to Gr. rh twr an orator. Cf. {Verb}.] [1913 Webster] 1. The… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • word square — word′ square n. a set of words that when arranged one beneath another in the form of a square read alike horizontally and vertically: The words sated, atone, toast, ensue, deter form a word square[/ex] …   From formal English to slang

  • word square — n. a square made of letters so arranged that they spell the same words in the same order horizontally and vertically …   English World dictionary

  • word square — noun a puzzle where you fill a square grid with words reading the same down as across • Syn: ↑acrostic • Hypernyms: ↑puzzle, ↑puzzler, ↑mystifier, ↑teaser * * * noun 1 …   Useful english dictionary

  • word square — noun Date: circa 1879 a series of words of equal length arranged in a square pattern to read the same horizontally and vertically …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • word square — a set of words such that when arranged one beneath another in the form of a square they read alike horizontally and vertically. [1875 80] * * * …   Universalium

  • word-square — /ˈwɜd skwɛə/ (say werd skwair) noun a set of words such that when arranged one beneath another in the form of a square they read alike horizontally and vertically …  

  • word square — noun a puzzle requiring the discovery of a set of words of equal length written one under another to read the same down as across, e.g. too old ode …   English new terms dictionary

  • Word — Word, n. [AS. word; akin to OFries. & OS. word, D. woord, G. wort, Icel. or[eth], Sw. & Dan. ord, Goth. wa[ u]rd, OPruss. wirds, Lith. vardas a name, L. verbum a word; or perhaps to Gr. rh twr an orator. Cf. {Verb}.] [1913 Webster] 1. The spoken… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Word blindness — Word Word, n. [AS. word; akin to OFries. & OS. word, D. woord, G. wort, Icel. or[eth], Sw. & Dan. ord, Goth. wa[ u]rd, OPruss. wirds, Lith. vardas a name, L. verbum a word; or perhaps to Gr. rh twr an orator. Cf. {Verb}.] [1913 Webster] 1. The… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

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