Anagram Indicators

The typical anagram clue in a cryptic crossword consists of three parts: a definition, an anagram indicator, and the anagram fodder (the letters to be shuffled).

For example:

Do legal owners free birds? (4-5,4)

Anagram fodder: Do legal owners
Anagram indicator: free
Definition: birds

The ability to recognise anagram indicators - FREE, FRESH, NOVEL, RESORT, NUTS, IN A WHIRL, AT SEA, etc. - is one of the essential skills of a cryptic crossworder.

The list of anagram indicators presented here is by no means intended to be exhaustive, but it should provide information about almost all the anagram indicators that you are likely to encounter in a cryptic crossword.

Click on any indicator in the list to view its entry in the Cryptic Crossword Dictionary.

ABNORMAL ABOUT ABSURD ADAPT ADAPTED ADDLED ADJUST ADJUSTED ADJUSTMENT ADRIFT AFRESH AFTER A FASHION AGITATED ALL OVER ALTER

ALTERATION ALTERED ALTERING AMISS ANEW ANOTHER WAY ANYHOW AROUND ARRANGE ARRANGED ARRANGEMENT ARRANGING ASKEW ASSEMBLE ASSEMBLED

ASSEMBLING ASSEMBLY ASSORTED ASSORTMENT ASTRAY AT ODDS AT SEA AT SIXES AND SEVENS AWFUL AWFULLY AWKWARD AWKWARDLY AWRY

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BAD BADLY BANANAS BASTARD BATS BATTERED BATTY BEATEN BEATEN UP BECOME BECOMES

BECOMING BEND BENT BIZARRE BLEND BLENDED BOIL BOILED BOILING BREAK BREAKING

BREW BREWED BREWING BROADCAST BROKEN BUILD BUILDING BUILT BY ARRANGEMENT BY MISTAKE

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CAN BE CARELESS CARELESSLY CAST CAVORT CAVORTING CHANGE CHANGED CHANGES CHANGING CHAOS CHAOTIC CHARACTERS CHOP CHOPPED CIRCULATING COCKTAIL COMPLICATE COMPLICATED

COMPONENTS COMPOSE COMPOSED COMPOSING COMPOUND COMPRISE CONCEALED CONCEALING CONCEALS CONFUSE CONFUSED CONFUSING CONSTITUENTS CONSTRUCT CONVERSION CONVERT CONVERTED CONVERTIBLE COOK

COOKED CORRECT CORRECTED CORRUPT CORRUPTED COULD BE CRACK CRACKED CRACKERS CRACKING CRAZED CRAZY CRIMINAL CUCKOO CUNNINGLY CURIOUS CURIOUSLY

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DAMAGE DAMAGED DANCE DANCING DEALT DEFORM DEFORMED DEMOLISHED DEPLOY DEPLOYED DERIVED FROM DESIGN DESIGNED DEVELOP DEVELOPED DEVIATION DEVIOUS

DICKY DIFFERENT DIFFERENTLY DISARRAY DISFIGURE DISFIGURED DISGUISE DISGUISED DISHEVELLED DISLOCATED DISMANTLED DISORDER DISORDERED DISORDERLY DISPERSED DISPOSED DISRUPTION

DISSEMINATED DISTRESSED DISTURBED DISTURBING DIVERSIFIED DIZZY DOCTOR DOCTORED DODGY DOTTY DREADFUL DREADFULLY DRESSED DRUNK DUD DUFF

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ECCENTRIC EDIT EDITED ENGENDERING ENGINEERED ENSEMBLE

ENTANGLED ERRATIC ERUPTING ESSENTIALS EXCITED EXOTIC

EXPLODE EXPLODED EXPLODING EXTRAORDINARY

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FABRICATED FALSE FANCIFUL FANCY FANTASTIC FASHION FASHIONED FASHIONING FAULTY FERMENTED FIDDLE

FIDDLED FIND FLUID FLURRIED FOOLISH FOOLISHLY FOR A CHANGE FORCED FORGE FORGED FORM

FRACTURED FRAGMENTED FRAGMENTS FREE FREELY FRESH FRESHLY FROLICKING FUDGE FUNNY

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GARBLED GENERATING

GETS GROTESQUE

GROUND

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HAPHAZARD HASH HAVOC

HAYWIRE HIDE HIDING

HIGGLEDY-PIGGLEDY

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ILL ILL-DISPOSED ILL-FORMED ILL-TREATED IMPROPER IMPROPERLY IN A FERMENT IN A JUMBLE

IN A MESS IN A WHIRL INCORRECT INCORRECTLY IN DISARRAY IN DISGUISE IN ERROR INGREDIENTS

IN RUINS INTERFERED WITH INVOLVE INVOLVED IRREGULAR

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JITTERY JUGGLED

JUMBLED

JUMPING

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KIND OF

KINKY

KNOTTED

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LAWLESS LETTERS

LIQUID LOOSE

LOOSELY LUNATIC

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MAD MADE MADE UP MADLY MAKE-UP MALFORMED MALFUNCTION MALTREATED MANAGED MANGLED MANOEUVRE MASH MASSAGED

MAYBE MAY BE MEANDERING MEDLEY MESS MESSY MINCED MISHANDLE MISPLACED MISSHAPEN MISTAKE MISTAKEN MISUSE

MIX MIXED MIXTURE MOBILE MODELLED MODIFIED MOVING MUDDLE MUDDLED MUTILATED MUTINOUS

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NAUGHTY NEW NEWLY NOT IN ORDER

NOT PROPERLY NOT RIGHT NOT STRAIGHT NOVEL

NUTS NUTTY

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ODD OFF ORDER ORDERED ORDERLY

ORGANISE ORGANISED ORIGINAL ORIGINALLY OTHERWISE

OUT OUT OF JOINT OUT OF SORTS

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PANTS PECULIAR PERHAPS PERVERSE PERVERSELY PERVERT PERVERTED> PHONEY PIE PITCHING

PLASTIC PLAYING POOR POORLY POSSIBLE POSSIBLY POTENTIAL POTENTIALLY PREPARE PREPARED

PROBLEM PROCESSING PRODUCE PRODUCTION PSEUDO PUT OUT PUT RIGHT PUT STRAIGHT

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QUEER QUEERLY

QUESTIONABLE

QUIRKY

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RAGGED RAMBLING RANDOM RANDOMLY RECOLLECTED RECTIFIED REELING REELS REFORM REFORMED REGULATED REPAIR REPAIRED

REPLACED RESORT REVIEW REVIEWED REVOLTING REVOLUTIONARY RIGGED RIOT RIOTING RIOTOUS ROCK ROCKING ROCKY

ROTTEN ROUGH ROUGHLY ROUND RUIN RUINED RUINOUS RUM RUN RUNNING RUNS RUPTURED

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SAD SADLY SCATTER SCATTERED SET OFF SET OUT SHAKE SHAKEN SHAKING SHAKY SHAMBLES SHIFT SHIFTED SHIFTING SHOT SILLY

SLOPPY SMASH SMASHED SMASHING SNARLED SOMEHOW SPILL SPILLED SPIN SPINNING SPOIL SPOILT SPREAD SPUN STAGGERED STAGGERING

STEW STRANGE STRANGELY STRAY SUBSTITUTE SUBSTITUTED SURPRISING SURPRISINGLY SUSPECT SWIMMING SWIRL SWIRLING SWITCH SWITCHED

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TANGLED TATTERED TIDIED TIPSY TORTUOUS TRAIN TRAINED TRAINING TRANSFORM

TRANSFORMED TRANSLATE TRANSLATED TREAT TREATED TRICKY TRIM TROUBLE TROUBLED

TUMBLING TURN TURNED TURNING TURNS TWIST TWISTED

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UNDONE UNNATURAL UNRESTRAINED UNRULY UNSETTLED

UNSTEADY UNTIDY UNUSUAL UNUSUALLY UPHEAVAL

UPSET USED

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VAGUE VAGUELY VARIATION

VARIED VARIETY VERSION

VOLATILE

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WANDER WANDERING WARPED WAYWARD WEAVE WEAVING

WEIRD WILD WILDER WILDLY WORKED WORKING

WORRIED WOVEN WRECKED WRITHING WRONG WRONGLY