Mirror writing runs from right to left with every letter flipped, so it looks normal only when held up to a mirror. Leonardo da Vinci filled thousands of notebook pages this way – possibly because he was left-handed and wanted to avoid smudging the ink – and mirror text has appeared in Ottoman calligraphy, in puzzles, in ambulance lettering (ƎƆИA⅃UᙠMA reads correctly in a driver’s rear-view mirror) and in children who are learning to write.
Writing it on a computer needs two steps: reversing the order of the characters, and replacing each letter with a character that looks like its mirror image. Some letters are symmetrical (A, H, I, M, O, T, U, V, W, X, Y, i, l, o, v, w, x) and need no change; b and d, p and q swap; others borrow look-alikes from phonetic, Cyrillic or Canadian syllabics blocks, such as ɘ for e, ɒ for a and Я for R. The result is an approximation – a few letters like g or k have no perfect mirror twin.
Each line is processed separately so multi-line text keeps its layout. Use the plain reversed output for palindromes and backwards puzzles, and the reversed word order output for word games.
How to use the Mirror Text Generator
- Text to mirror
Everything is calculated in your browser, so results appear instantly and nothing you type is sent to a server.
How it works
Each line of the input is reversed character by character, then every character with a mirrored look-alike is substituted from a table of about 40 pairs. The tool also checks whether the letters form a palindrome.
Worked example
“Leonardo wrote like this” reversed is “siht ekil etorw odranoeL”. Flipping the letters gives ƨiʜƚ ɘʞil ɘƚoɿw obɿɒnoɘ⅃: s → ƨ, e → ɘ, t → ƚ, a → ɒ, r → ɿ, d ↔ b, L → ⅃, while i, l, o, w stay unchanged. Held up to a mirror it reads “Leonardo wrote like this”.
Mirror pairs used
| Letter | a | b | c | d | e | p | q | r | s | E | N | R |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mirror | ɒ | d | ɔ | b | ɘ | q | p | ɿ | ƨ | Ǝ | И | Я |
Formula
Mirror text = characters of each line in reverse order + each letter replaced by its horizontally flipped look-alike (b ↔ d, p ↔ q, e → ɘ, R → Я …)
Worked example
Inputs — Text to mirror: Leonardo wrote like this.
Results — Mirrored text (reads correctly in a mirror) = ƨiʜƚ ɘʞil ɘƚoɿw obɿɒnoɘ⅃; Reversed text (letters not flipped) = siht ekil etorw odranoeL; Flipped letters in normal order = ⅃ɘonɒɿbo wɿoƚɘ liʞɘ ƚʜiƨ; Reversed word order = this like wrote Leonardo; Palindrome? = No; Characters = 24.
Key terms
- Mirror writing
- Writing that runs in the opposite direction with reversed letter shapes.
- Palindrome
- A word or phrase that reads the same backwards (racecar).
- Look-alike character
- A Unicode character from another script that resembles a flipped Latin letter.
Frequently asked questions
What is mirror writing?
Text written right to left with reversed letters, readable in a mirror.
Why did Leonardo da Vinci write backwards?
Nobody knows for sure; the most common explanations are that he was left-handed and avoided smudging, or that it made his notes harder to read for others.
Why do some letters not change?
Symmetrical letters such as A, H, O, T, V, W, X look identical in a mirror.
How do I mirror text in Word?
Insert a text box, then Format Shape › 3-D Rotation › X rotation 180°. This generator works without formatting.
Can I send mirror text on WhatsApp?
Yes, copy the result and paste it into the chat – it is ordinary Unicode text.
How do I read mirror writing?
Hold it up to a mirror or paste it back into this tool – mirroring twice restores most of the original.