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Wordplay and anagrams quiz

Get your thinking cap on. Words are not always what they seem.

Free to use with your own team, courtesy of WorkplaceHero - workplacehero.co.uk

Question sheet

1. 'Brunch' is a blend of breakfast and lunch. What is this kind of word called?
- A. Palindrome
- B. Portmanteau
- C. Acronym
- D. Homophone
2. Which of these is a palindrome?
- A. Rotator
- B. Rotate
- C. Tractor
- D. Rotor blade
3. 'Listen' is an anagram of which word?
- A. Tinsel
- B. Lintel
- C. Lentils
- D. Stolen
4. Which of these is an oxymoron?
- A. Happy ending
- B. Deafening silence
- C. Busy day
- D. Bright light
5. What does 'scuba' originally stand for in part?
- A. Self-contained underwater breathing apparatus
- B. Sea current under boat area
- C. Submarine cable unit
- D. Swim club ballast
6. Which word becomes shorter when you add two letters to it?
- A. Long
- B. Short
- C. Small
- D. Brief
7. 'Dormitory' is an anagram of which phrase?
- A. Dirty room
- B. Dim story
- C. Tidy room
- D. Door mirt
8. What is the only English word that ends in 'mt'?
- A. Dreamt
- B. Hemt
- C. Tempt
- D. Exempt
9. Which letter is the most commonly used in English?
- A. A
- B. E
- C. T
- D. S
10. 'Their', 'there' and 'they're' are examples of what?
- A. Synonyms
- B. Antonyms
- C. Homophones
- D. Idioms
11. Which word means a sentence using every letter of the alphabet?
- A. Pangram
- B. Lipogram
- C. Anagram
- D. Monogram
12. What is a 'spoonerism'?
- A. Swapping the first sounds of words
- B. Using too many adjectives
- C. Speaking backwards
- D. Repeating a word

1. B - Portmanteau
Lewis Carroll popularised the term.
2. A - Rotator
It reads the same backwards.
3. A - Tinsel
Also 'silent' and 'enlist'.
4. B - Deafening silence
It puts contradictory words together.
5. A - Self-contained underwater breathing apparatus
It began as an acronym.
6. B - Short
Short plus 'er' becomes shorter.
7. A - Dirty room
A classic anagram.
8. A - Dreamt
Variants like 'undreamt' also count.
9. B - E
E appears in roughly 11% of letters.
10. C - Homophones
They sound the same but differ in meaning.
11. A - Pangram
'The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog' is famous.
12. A - Swapping the first sounds of words
Named after William Spooner, e.g. 'tease my ears'.