[Math] In how many ways can the word “WORD” be rearranged so that no letter is in its original position

combinatoricsfactorialpermutations

In how many ways can the word "WORD" be rearranged so that no letter is in its original position?

The answer is $9$, but what is the formula for it?

Best Answer

The keyword here is derangements. The formula for the number of derangements of $n$ things is a bit messy:

$$d_n=n!\sum_{k=0}^n\frac{(-1)^k}{k!}\;.$$

You’ll find some other formulas, less easy to prove but more usable, at the link; perhaps the nicest is

$$d_n=\left\lfloor\frac{n!}e+\frac12\right\rfloor\;,$$

for $n\ge 1$.