2022 Palindrome Dates: Why February 2022 Set a Modern Record and What Palindrome Dates Really Are
Palindrome dates in 2022. February may be the shortest month, but for anyone who loves numbers, there will be no shortage of fun, palindrome dates.
Quick Reference: 2022 Palindrome Dates
- Total palindrome dates in February 2022 (US 5-digit M-DD-YY): 10, from 2-2-22 through 2-28-22.
- Consecutive streak: nine dates in a row (2-20-22 through 2-28-22).
- Ubiquitous palindromes in February 2022: two dates that read as palindromes in every world date format. 2-2-22 (Groundhog Day) and 2-22-22 (George Washington’s Birthday, a Tuesday, nicknamed “Twosday”).
- Eight-digit palindrome: 22-02-2022 (Day-Month-Year format), Washington’s Birthday.
- Source: Dr. Aziz S. Inan, electrical engineering professor at the University of Portland, Oregon, who has tracked palindrome calendar dates for more than a decade.
- Looking ahead: the next similar palindrome density year will be 2030 to 2039 in short format. For the current year list, see the Almanac’s palindrome date guide.
February 2022 delivered one of the densest palindrome date runs in living memory. Ten five-digit palindrome dates fell in a single month, nine of them consecutive, all reading the same forwards and backwards in US month-day-year short format. This guide preserves the original Almanac reporting on that month, adds the math that made it possible, and links out to the current-year palindrome date calendar for readers looking ahead.
What is a Palindrome?
A palindrome is a word, phrase, or numerical sequence that reads the same left to right or right to left. Simple words such as mom, dad, civic, and kayak are palindromes, as are names such as Bob, Anna, Elle, and Hannah. Even everyday internet slang such as LOL is a palindrome. The Oxford English Dictionary traces the term to Greek palindromos, meaning “running back again,” and the earliest recorded English use is Henry Peacham’s 1638 book The Truth of Our Times.
But palindromes can be dates too. Dr. Aziz S. Inan, an electrical engineering professor at the University of Portland, Oregon, has studied palindrome calendar dates for more than a decade. In 2021 he alerted the Almanac to the 22 palindrome dates falling that year, and in January 2022 he advised us about the many numerical palindromes lining up for February 2022.
Palindrome Examples in 2022
Based on Dr. Inan’s findings and his lifelong love for numbers, February 2022 contained 10 palindrome dates in US month-day-year short format, plus a few extra plays on the number two.
February 2022’s ten palindrome dates in month-day-year format:
2-2-22
2-20-22
2-21-22
2-22-22
2-23-22
2-24-22
2-25-22
2-26-22
2-27-22
2-28-22
Note that the last nine five-digit palindrome dates were consecutive. If 2022 had been a leap year, there would have been one more five-digit palindrome date in the sequence: 2-29-22 (the next leap year after 2022 was 2024).
Why February 2022 Was So Palindrome-Rich (The Math)
Palindrome density depends on the year’s digit structure. A short-format US palindrome date reads M-DD-YY (five digits when the month is single-digit) or MM-DD-YY (six digits when the month is double-digit). For a five-digit sequence to be a palindrome, the first and last digits must match and the middle three must read symmetrically.
In 2022 the last two year digits were “22.” That gave every February date whose day started with “2” a matching bookend on both sides. Because February has 28 days (29 in a leap year), the twenties (20 through 28) supplied nine consecutive candidates. The one non-consecutive palindrome in the month, 2-2-22, was the first: a rare four-digit-of-two palindrome that also happened to fall on Groundhog Day.
According to the University of Portland’s mathematics reporting, calendar palindromes cluster in years where the last two digits are low doubles (11, 22, 33, and so on) and thin out in mid-decade years like 2025 or 2026 whose digit structure does not pair well with any month or day. The next similar-density year in short format is 2030, and the next long-format eight-digit ubiquitous palindrome after 22-02-2022 in Day-Month-Year format was 20-02-2002 (already past) and 12-02-2021 in some formats. Britannica’s palindrome entry gives a full mathematical treatment.
A Palindrome Around the World
In the US, dates are written Month-Day-Year. Many European countries use Day-Month-Year. In parts of Asia and in ISO 8601 international standard, Year-Month-Day comes first.
With these three date formats in mind, February 2022 delivered 2 separate ubiquitous palindrome dates, meaning palindrome dates that occurred on the same day of the calendar regardless of the date format being used:
One involving four digits of 2 fell on Groundhog Day: 2-2-22; 2-2-22; and 22-2-2.
The other involving five digits of 2 coincided with George Washington’s Birthday: 2-22-22; 22-2-22; and 22-2-22.
What’s more, 2-22-22 fell on a Tuesday, giving readers the homophone “Twosday.”
Washington’s Full Palindrome Birthday
The founding father’s birth anniversary was also an eight-digit palindrome date in 2022 when written as a full date in Day-Month-Year format: 22-02-2022. Additionally, 200 years later, Washington’s birthday will be a one-of-a-kind seven-digit palindrome date in each date format:
2-22-2222; 22-2-2222; and 2222-2-22. That is not a prediction from us; it is a straight arithmetical consequence of the digits, and Dr. Inan flagged it in the original 2022 briefing.
February 20, 2022
If that was not enough twos to boggle the mind, another date joined the streak: 2-20-22. Written as a full date with all the year digits, that day was actually a seven-digit palindrome date: 2-20-2022.
More 2022 Palindromes Around the World
In countries where Day-Month-Year (or Year-Month-Day) date format is used, 2022 delivered even more palindrome dates. One five-digit palindrome date occurred on the 22nd of every month from January to September, a four-digit one on the 2nd of February, and a six-digit one on the 22nd of November:
22-1-22
2-2-22
22-2-22
22-3-22
22-4-22
22-5-22
22-6-22
22-7-22
22-8-22
22-9-22
22-11-22
A Lifelong Love For Numbers
Dr. Inan shares such interesting dates with his students and treats numbers as an art form, especially when mathematical computations add further numeric beauty. “I wish I could live 22 hundred and 99 more years so I can experience the two one-of-a-kind seven-digit palindrome dates 1-23-4321 and 12-3-4321, since both of these dates will also be perfect square dates because 1234321 = 1111 x 1111!” Inan said.
Inan also points out that in Month-Day-Year date format there are 12 eight-digit and 26 seven-digit full palindrome dates (total 38) in the 21st century. In the Day-Month-Year date format, there are 29 eight-digit and 9 seven-digit full palindrome dates (again total 38) in the 21st century. See the Almanac’s longer list here.
Are Palindrome Dates Lucky?
Some cultures treat palindrome dates as lucky, which is why many couples choose them for wedding celebrations. The symmetrical pattern also looks striking on invitations, and dates such as 02-02-2020 and 11-11-11 were extremely popular wedding dates. Cornell University’s SC Johnson College of Business tracked a measurable spike in US marriage-license filings on 02/02/2020, the most globally palindromic date of this century.
Special thanks to Dr. Inan, who contributed the mathematics and the wisdom in this article.
2022 Palindrome Dates FAQ
How many palindrome dates were in February 2022?
Ten, in US month-day-year short format: 2-2-22, plus the consecutive stretch of 2-20-22 through 2-28-22. If 2022 had been a leap year, 2-29-22 would have added an eleventh.
What was the most famous 2022 palindrome date?
2-22-22, George Washington’s Birthday, which fell on a Tuesday. It was called “Twosday” and was one of just two ubiquitous palindrome dates that year, meaning it read as a palindrome in every world date format.
Was February 2 2022 a palindrome date?
Yes. 2-2-22 was a four-digit-of-two palindrome that also fell on Groundhog Day. It was ubiquitous, meaning it read as a palindrome in US, European, and ISO date formats.
Who first flagged the 2022 palindrome density?
Dr. Aziz S. Inan, an electrical engineering professor at the University of Portland, Oregon. Dr. Inan has tracked palindrome calendar dates for more than a decade and briefed the Farmers’ Almanac on the 2021 and 2022 palindromes.
Why are some years palindrome-rich and others not?
The count depends on the last two digits of the year. In 2022, “22” paired cleanly with every February date starting with “2,” producing ten palindromes in a single month. Mid-decade years like 2025 and 2026 have digit structures that pair poorly, so short-format palindromes are rare. See the Almanac’s evergreen palindrome guide for the current-year list.
What is the next big palindrome year after 2022?
In short M-DD-YY format, the 2030s will bring a similar density: 3-30-33, 3-31-33, and so on. In long eight-digit Day-Month-Year format, 12-02-2021 was the closest ubiquitous eight-digit palindrome to 22-02-2022. The one-of-a-kind seven-digit palindrome dates 1-23-4321 and 12-3-4321 are more than 2,000 years away.
Are palindrome dates considered lucky for weddings?
In some cultures, yes. The symmetrical pattern is treated as auspicious. 02-02-2020 saw a documented spike in US marriage-license filings, and 11-11-11 was similarly popular. It is a folk tradition, not a mathematical claim.
Melissa Mayntz
Melissa Mayntz is a writer who specializes in birds and birding, though her work spans a wide range—from folklore to healthy living. Her first book, Migration: Exploring the Remarkable Journeys of Birds was published in 2020. Mayntz also writes for National Wildlife Magazine and The Spruce. Find her at MelissaMayntz.com.
Dr. Aziz Inan
Dr. Aziz Inan is an electrical engineering professor at the University of Portland, Oregon. He has been studying palindrome calendar dates for more than a decade. Dr. Inan’s work with numbers has been featured in The New York Times, USA Today, Los Angeles Times, and many other news sources: NPR, CNN, CBS News, NBC News, and ABC News. Dr. Inan has also contributed to Smithsonian Magazine, Scientific American, Stanford Magazine, and Caltech Magazine.
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Dr. Aziz Inan
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Dr. Aziz Inan
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Dr. Aziz Inan
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Dr. Aziz Inan
Some of those don’t make sense. If you read 2-28-22 backwards it becomes 22-82-2. That’s not a palindrome.
2-28-22 backwards becomes 2-28-22! Put the hyphens in the right place and you will see.
Great fun! Will challenge my grandchildren with some of the number fun!
Yes! Great idea! Thanks Denmark Betty for commenting.