List of Compound Words: 230+ Compound Words To Improve Your Vocabulary
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A compound word joins two or more smaller words into a single unit of meaning, the way sun and flower become sunflower. English forms compounds in three ways: closed compounds written as one word, open compounds written with a space, and hyphenated compounds joined by a hyphen. The tricky part for writers is that the same pair of words can shift form over time or change form by role, so a dictionary check is the only reliable arbiter.
Closed compound words
Closed compounds fuse two words into a single word with no space or hyphen, and they are usually the oldest and most established compounds in the language.
notebook: He filled a notebook with overheard conversations.
toothbrush: Pack a spare toothbrush in your carry-on.
sunflower: A single sunflower towered over the vegetable patch.
keyboard: Crumbs kept jamming the letters on the old keyboard.
rainbow: A rainbow arched over the bay after the squall.
fingerprint: The detective lifted a fingerprint from the window latch.
grasshopper: A grasshopper sprang from the path into the tall weeds.
bedroom: The spare bedroom doubles as her writing studio.
weekend: They spent the weekend repainting the boat.
smartphone: He drafted the entire essay on his smartphone during the commute.
waterfall: The trail ends at a waterfall hidden in the pines.
jellyfish: A jellyfish drifted past the pier like a lost umbrella.
Open compound words
Open compounds keep a space between the words, yet the pair still functions as a single noun with its own meaning.
ice cream: We ended the tour with ice cream on the boardwalk.
high school: Her high school reunion fell on the same weekend as the book fair.
peanut butter: He stirred peanut butter into the noodle sauce.
real estate: Coastal real estate has drawn buyers from the capital.
video game: The studio adapted the novel into a video game.
hot dog: She grabbed a hot dog between innings.
roller coaster: The old wooden roller coaster still draws the longest lines.
search engine: A quick search engine query settled the argument.
full moon: The tide runs highest under a full moon.
common sense: Common sense says to test the ladder before climbing.
post office: The village post office also sells fishing licenses.
vacuum cleaner: The vacuum cleaner swallowed a puzzle piece.
Hyphenated compound words
Hyphenated compounds link their parts with a hyphen, a form common for family terms, coined nouns, and compounds still settling into the language.
brother-in-law: My brother-in-law restores antique clocks.
father-in-law: Her father-in-law taught her to sail.
well-being: Daily walks did wonders for his well-being.
self-control: It took real self-control not to read the ending first.
up-to-date: Keep your contact details up-to-date in the portal.
long-term: The city signed a long-term lease on the stadium.
part-time: She edits part-time while finishing her degree.
runner-up: The runner-up received a publishing consultation.
know-it-all: Nobody wanted to sit beside the office know-it-all.
merry-go-round: The restored merry-go-round reopened in the spring.
check-in: Online check-in opens a day before the flight.
one-on-one: Each student gets a one-on-one session with the editor.
Compound adjectives
Compound adjectives combine two words into a single description, and they usually take a hyphen when they sit directly before the noun they modify.
cold-blooded: Lizards are cold-blooded, so they bask on warm rocks.
far-fetched: The alibi sounded far-fetched, but it checked out.
good-looking: The cover redesign is undeniably good-looking.
hard-working: The award recognized the festival's hard-working volunteers.
mind-blowing: The planetarium show was mind-blowing.
absent-minded: The absent-minded professor left his keys in the lecture hall again.
world-famous: The bakery's world-famous soda bread sells out by morning.
long-lasting: Choose a long-lasting finish for the outdoor furniture.
mouth-watering: The market stalls filled the square with mouth-watering smells.
breathtaking: The ridge offers a breathtaking view of the valley.
time-saving: Keyboard shortcuts are a genuinely time-saving habit for any writer.
ill-advised: Launching without a backup plan proved ill-advised.
Compound and phrasal verbs
Some compounds act as verbs, either fused into one word like babysit or formed as verb-plus-particle pairs whose combined meaning differs from the parts.
babysit: She agreed to babysit the twins on Friday.
proofread: Always proofread the caption before the poster goes to print.
jaywalk: Tourists jaywalk across the plaza despite the signs.
foretell: The old almanac claims to foretell the first frost.
blow up: The photo will blow up nicely for the gallery wall.
call off: They had to call off the match at halftime.
drop out: He nearly chose to drop out of the program in his first term.
take off: The flight will take off once the fog lifts.
sort out: Give me an hour to sort out the seating plan.
fill up: Fill up the tank before we cross the mountains.
ask out: He finally worked up the nerve to ask out his study partner.
pass away: The custom began to pass away as the village emptied.
Curated word bank
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Antedates
Background
Biweekly
Blowout
Breakfast
Bookkeeping
Cardboard
Chickpeas
Clockwise
Cupboard
Daylight
Desktop
Drugstore
Fingerprint
The detective lifted a fingerprint from the window latch.
Firefly
Footnote
Foretell
The old almanac claims to foretell the first frost.
Girlfriend
Gentleman
Grandparent
Grapefruit
Grasshopper
A grasshopper sprang from the path into the tall weeds.
Hangover
Headquarters
Holdup
Hypersensitive
Infrared
Inside
Jellyfish
A jellyfish drifted past the pier like a lost umbrella.
Keyboard
Crumbs kept jamming the letters on the old keyboard.
Ladybug
Landlord
Nevertheless
Newborn
Nobody
Notebook
He filled a notebook with overheard conversations.
Outside
Peripatetic
Placeholder
Preexisting
Railroad
Rainbow
A rainbow arched over the bay after the squall.
Smartphone
He drafted the entire essay on his smartphone during the commute.
Snowball
Sometimes
Spoonful
Sunflower
A single sunflower towered over the vegetable patch.
Toothbrush
Pack a spare toothbrush in your carry-on.
Transatlantic
Undercover
Upperclassman
Upstream
Airborne
Breathtaking
The ridge offers a breathtaking view of the valley.
Database
Extracurricular
Fireproof
Gingerbread
Headlight
Jaywalk
Tourists jaywalk across the plaza despite the signs.
Knothole
Loudspeaker
Marketplace
Nationwide
Ourselves
Proofread
Always proofread the caption before the poster goes to print.
Spreadsheet
Timetable
Underdog
Videocassette
Woodpecker
Yearbook
Caregiver
Doorbell
Grandchild
Heartbeat
Innkeeper
Lifespan
Myself
Pancake
Quarterback
Rattlesnake
Snowman
Zookeeper
Afternoon
Airport
Anchorman
Babysit
She agreed to babysit the twins on Friday.
Barefoot
Baseball
Bathroom
Battleship
Bedroom
The spare bedroom doubles as her writing studio.
Blueberry
Cheesecake
Coffee table
Cowboy
Everyday
Football
Frying pan
Handshake
Lipstick
Mailbox
Raincoat
Skateboard
Sleeping bag
Makeover
Watermelon
Waterfall
The trail ends at a waterfall hidden in the pines.
Weekend
They spent the weekend repainting the boat.
Fundraiser
Black eye
Cell phone
Close call
Common sense
Common sense says to test the ladder before climbing.
Dining room
First aid
Full moon
The tide runs highest under a full moon.
Heart attack
High school
Her high school reunion fell on the same weekend as the book fair.
Hot dog
She grabbed a hot dog between innings.
Ice cream
We ended the tour with ice cream on the boardwalk.
Life jacket
Next of kin
Payday
Peanut butter
He stirred peanut butter into the noodle sauce.
Per capita
Prime minister
Real estate
Coastal real estate has drawn buyers from the capital.
Remote control
Report card
Rib cage
Role model
Roller coaster
The old wooden roller coaster still draws the longest lines.
Search engine
A quick search engine query settled the argument.
Test drive
Theme park
Time capsule
Upper crust
Vacuum cleaner
The vacuum cleaner swallowed a puzzle piece.
Vending machine
Video game
The studio adapted the novel into a video game.
Voicemail
Waiting room
Web page
Bow tie
Cave in
Christmas tree
Course work
Fine art
Grand jury
Jigsaw puzzle
Labor Day
Life vest
Movie theater
Outer space
Photo ID
Post office
The village post office also sells fishing licenses.
Sweet tooth
Tennis shoes
Ask out
He finally worked up the nerve to ask out his study partner.
Blow up
The photo will blow up nicely for the gallery wall.
Call off
They had to call off the match at halftime.
Drop out
He nearly chose to drop out of the program in his first term.
Fill up
Fill up the tank before we cross the mountains.
Get away
Pass away
The custom began to pass away as the village emptied.
Sort out
Give me an hour to sort out the seating plan.
Take off
The flight will take off once the fog lifts.
Cross-section
Brother-in-law
My brother-in-law restores antique clocks.
Cold-blooded
Lizards are cold-blooded, so they bask on warm rocks.
Ear-splitting
Far-fetched
The alibi sounded far-fetched, but it checked out.
Forget-me-not
Half-baked
High-rise
Ill-advised
Launching without a backup plan proved ill-advised.
Jack-in-the-box
Know-it-all
Nobody wanted to sit beside the office know-it-all.
Last-minute
Law-abiding
Light-years
Long-term
The city signed a long-term lease on the stadium.
Make-believe
Mind-blowing
The planetarium show was mind-blowing.
Nitty-gritty
One-on-one
Each student gets a one-on-one session with the editor.
Over-the-counter
Pitter-patter
Runner-up
The runner-up received a publishing consultation.
Self-control
It took real self-control not to read the ending first.
So-called
Stick-in-the-mud
V-necked
Walk-in
Warm-up
Well-being
Daily walks did wonders for his well-being.
Y-shaped
A-frame
Check-in
Online check-in opens a day before the flight.
Father-in-law
Her father-in-law taught her to sail.
High-tech
In-depth
King-size
Life-size
Merry-go-round
The restored merry-go-round reopened in the spring.
On-site
Self-service
Three-dimensional
U-turn
Up-to-date
Keep your contact details up-to-date in the portal.
Word-of-mouth
X-ray
Absent-minded
The absent-minded professor left his keys in the lecture hall again.
Brown-eyed
Full-length
English-speaking
Good-looking
The cover redesign is undeniably good-looking.
Hard-working
The award recognized the festival's hard-working volunteers.
Long-lasting
Choose a long-lasting finish for the outdoor furniture.
Mouth-watering
The market stalls filled the square with mouth-watering smells.
Part-time
She edits part-time while finishing her degree.
Time-saving
Keyboard shortcuts are a genuinely time-saving habit for any writer.
World-famous
The bakery's world-famous soda bread sells out by morning.
Antedate
Chickpea
Footpath
Headache
Cold shoulder
Cotton candy
Voice mail
Washing machine
Role Play
Living Room
Co-op
Editor-in-chief
Empty-handed
Light-year
One-sided
Frequently asked questions
What is a compound word?
A compound word is a word built from two or more smaller words that combine into a single unit of meaning. The new word often means something related to but distinct from its parts, the way a greenhouse is not simply a house that is green. Compounds can act as nouns, adjectives, or verbs.
What are the three types of compound words?
Compound words come in three forms. Closed compounds are written as one word, such as notebook and rainbow. Open compounds keep a space between the parts, such as ice cream and high school, while hyphenated compounds join the parts with a hyphen, such as well-being and merry-go-round.
How do I know whether a compound word needs a hyphen?
Check a current dictionary first, because usage settles compound forms case by case and they shift over time. A useful general rule covers compound adjectives: hyphenate them before a noun, as in a well-known author, but leave them open after the verb, as in the author is well known. When style guides disagree, pick one form and apply it consistently.
What is the difference between a compound word and a blended word?
A compound word keeps both original words intact, as in football or bookkeeping. A blended word, also called a portmanteau, fuses fragments of two words into one, the way brunch merges breakfast and lunch. In a compound you can still see both complete words; in a blend at least one of them has been clipped.
Can compound words change form over time?
Yes, and many follow a predictable drift from open to hyphenated to closed as they become familiar. Electronic mail became e-mail and then email within a generation. This is why dictionaries sometimes disagree with each other about a compound's form, and why checking a recent edition matters more than memorizing a rule.