Can You Guess the Opposites of These Words Spelled Backwards?

By: Beth Hendricks
Estimated Completion Time
4 min
Can You Guess the Opposites of These Words Spelled Backwards?
Image: Photodisc / Photodisc / Getty Images

About This Quiz

You've seen them before: Blocks of upside-down, backward and mixed-up text topped with a headline like, "Only geniuses can read this!" or "You'll be smarter than your friends if you can understand this!" The truth is, it really does have something to do with your brain, but maybe not exactly what you thought.

Have you ever seen a child write his or her name backward? Psychologists and people smarter than us who study this sort of thing sometimes refer to it as "mirror writing." In fact, one pretty famous polymath (that's someone skilled in a wide range of disciplines) known as Leonardo da Vinci used to engage in mirror writing intentionally. For the rest of us plebeians, writing backward is probably something we'd do just for fun or to craft a message on a car window for someone outside, perhaps. 

But let's go back to our brains. Some scientists believe that when we learn or recognize a word, it is stored in our brains correctly in one hemisphere, while a mirror opposite of that word is stored in another hemisphere. So, the word "quiz" could appear as both "quiz" and "ziuq" in separate parts of your noggin. Pretty cool, right?

Now, let's see what you've got stored in that big brain of yours! This quiz is a collection of backward words that need to be matched to their correctly spelled opposites. Unscramble the word and then figure out which "opposite" pairs perfectly with it. We'll consider you a regular htimsdrow if you can nail this one!


1-School
Ishii Koji / DigitalVision / Getty Images
He was "tnesba" from school on Monday, but he was ________ on Tuesday. What word fills in the blank?
Modern
Question
Present
Natural
2-Frankenstein
amesy / E+ / Getty Images
Frankenstein shouts, "It's evila!" in the 1931 movie classic. What is the opposite of "evila?"
Narrow
Stupid
Dead
Boundless
3-friends
Flashpop / DigitalVision / Getty Images
You'd probably consider your friend an "ylla," but what would they be if they weren't?
Bitter
Enemy
Fade
Captive

Advertisement

4-Beautiful
Plume Creative / DigitalVision / Getty Images
Rock group U2 recorded a song titled "lufituaeB Day." What is the opposite of "lufituaeb"?
Ugly
Cheap
Windy
Reveal
5-Sweater
Tetra Images / DigitalVision / Getty Images
She said she wanted to "worrob" my sweater, but it was really more like which of these?
Blame
Contract
Steal
Bright
6-War
Paul Souders / DigitalVision / Getty Images
Prisoners of war during World War II would have been considered "evitpac" instead of this word that means the opposite. Which is it?
Difficult
Encourage
Shallow
Free

Advertisement

7-puzzled
Jose Luis Pelaez Inc / DigitalVision / Getty Images
If it's not "nommoc," then it must be which one of these choices?
Fade
Stale
Rare
Tiny
8-dangerous
Kevin Trageser / DigitalVision / Getty Images
There are certain places in the world that are considered "suoregnad" to visit. What would it be if it weren't "suoregnad"?
Random
Safe
Harmful
Generous
9-Christmas-Tree
Gary Yeowell / DigitalVision / Getty Images
The lights on the Christmas tree were "thgirb." If they weren't, what might we call them?
Humble
Dim
Transparent
Guilty

Advertisement

10-Half-Empty
RUNSTUDIO / DigitalVision / Getty Images
Do you see the glass as half "ytpme" or something else? Which word is the opposite in tis case?
Guest
Full
Proud
Justice
11-famous
Digital Vision. / DigitalVision / Getty Images
Celebrities and athletes are "suomaf," but your garbage man is (probably) not. Which word is the opposite?
Interesting
Diseased
Senior
Unknown
12-Bread
Daniel Grizelj / DigitalVision / Getty Images
This type of bread isn't suitable for much except making croutons. What is the opposite of "elats"?
Trivial
Fresh
Shorten
Merry

Advertisement

13-Dryer
Jacobs Stock Photography Ltd / DigitalVision / Getty Images
Sometimes your clothes "knirhs" in the dryer. What is the opposite of that term?
Obedient
Polite
Grow
Brighten
14-Baby
Willie B. Thomas / DigitalVision / Getty Images
You want to handle a baby with a "eltneg" touch rather than this opposite. Which is it?
Rough
Temporary
Zenith
Coward
15-Eating-Out
Hinterhaus Productions / DigitalVision / Getty Images
Eating out too much may "rednih" your diet unless you're careful. What word is the opposite here?
Just
Intentional
Help
Unknown

Advertisement

16-Healthy
We Are / DigitalVision / Getty Images
It can be hard to stay "yhtlaeh" during the winter months. Which word is the opposite of "yhtlaeh"?
Stingy
Ill
Superior
Evil
17-Documents
Jorg Greuel / DigitalVision / Getty Images
She told me the documents were "tnatropmi," and I had to deliver them right away. What is the opposite?
Trivial
Found
Remember
Empty
18-Children
Klaus Vedfelt / DigitalVision / Getty Images
The teacher had to "etarapes" the children because they were talking too much. Which of these is the opposite of "etarapes"?
Joyous
Exclude
Join
Personalize

Advertisement

19-Courtroom
Image Source / DigitalVision / Getty Images
Lawyers and judges are fond of the saying, "ecnarongI of the law is no excuse." What is the opposite of "ecnarongi"?
Borrow
Giant
Boring
Knowledge
20-Follower
David Trood / DigitalVision / Getty Images
Some people are the born "opposite" of the term, "rewollof." What are they?
Leader
Lengthen
Disloyal
Spendthrift
21-Messy-Room
Justin Paget / DigitalVision / Getty Images
You may have gotten chewed out as a kid for having a "yssem" room. What did your mom hope it would be?
Limited
Quiet
Neat
Singular

Advertisement

22-Similar
Richard Drury / DigitalVision / Getty Images
These words are not "ralimis" at all. What is the entirely different word for "ralimis"?
Opaque
Sour
Opposite
Useless
23-Polite
Hinterhaus Productions / DigitalVision / Getty Images
Saying "please" and "thank you" and holding the door open for strangers is the hallmark of a "etilop" person. What would you be considered if you didn't do these things?
Reap
Vacant
Rude
Qualified
24-broken-nose
Isabel Pavia / Moment / Getty Images
After he broke his nose, it was "dekoorc." What is the opposite of this term?
Question
Failure
Complex
Straight

Advertisement

25-Tattoo
10'000 Hours / DigitalVision / Getty Images
Before you get a tattoo, remember that it's "tnenamrep." What is the opposite?
Obedient
Impossible
Temporary
Contaminated
26-Sports
ferrantraite / E+ / Getty Images
Sports journalist Jim McKay used to say, "The thrill of 'yrotciv' and the agony of ..." which of these?
Freeze
Illegal
Defeat
Boundless
27-Peace
Tim Robberts / DigitalVision / Getty Images
John Lennon encouraged all of us to "Give ecaeP a Chance" with a song of the same name in 1969. What's the opposite of "ecaep"?
Cold
Decrease
Valley
War

Advertisement

28-Photoshoot
Klaus Vedfelt / DigitalVision / Getty Images
She told us she wanted all of us to be "rehtegot" for the photoshoot. What word represents the opposite?
Apart
Foolish
Bound
External
29-Winston-Churchill
Paulo Amorim / Moment / Getty Images
Winston Churchill once said, "_______ is not final; 'eruliaf' is not fatal." What "opposite" word of "eruliaf" fills the blank?
Incapable
Success
Combine
Expand
30-Required
Andersen Ross Photography Inc / DigitalVision / Getty Images
If someone requires you to do something, it is "yroslupmoc." What term represents the opposite?
Troubled
Sweet
Voluntary
Ancient

Advertisement

31-Government
Hill Street Studios / DigitalVision / Getty Images
Government officers are considered "cilbup" figures. What is the opposite of the word "cilbup"?
Guilty
Humble
Private
Intentional
32-Jack-and-Jill
Photo_Concepts / Cultura / Getty Images
Jack "syawla" went up the hill, but Jill ________ did. What word, opposite of "syawla," could complete that sentence?
Unlikely
Boring
Outside
Never
33-Employer
Luis Alvarez / DigitalVision / Getty Images
You want your employer to consider you "suoirtsudni" rather than which of these opposite terms?
Miser
Shorten
Lazy
Young

Advertisement

34-Praise
Flashpop / DigitalVision / Getty Images
She gave "esiarp" to her children for a job well done. What would be the opposite of "esiarp"?
Blame
Evoke
Tight
Misunderstand
35-Trees
Betsie Van der Meer / DigitalVision / Getty Images
We couldn't decide between an "laicifitra" tree and a _________ one. What word fill the blank for the opposite of "laicifitra?"
Minority
Natural
Lengthen
Generous