Here is our list of compound words to add to your writing projects.
Learning and understanding compound words expand your vocabulary and make your speaking and writing more interesting.
Contents
What Are Compound Words in the English Language?
A compound is a result of combining two or more words to form a new English term with different meanings. It is vital in writing, reading, and speaking as a compound word provides information from two different ideas. Because the English language is so flexible and constantly changing, more and more new compound words appear in English dictionaries.
Look at the list of compound words you can use every day:
| A-frame | Hard-working | Pass Away |
| Absent-minded | Headache | Part-time |
| Airborne | Headlight | Photo Id |
| Ask Out | Heartbeat | Post Office |
| Blow Up | High-tech | Proofread |
| Breathtaking | In-depth | Quarterback |
| Brown-eyed | Innkeeper | Rattlesnake |
| Bow Tie | Jaywalk | Real Estate |
| Cave In | Jigsaw Puzzle | Role Play |
| Call Off | King-size | Self-service |
| Caregiver | Knothole | Skateboard |
| Check-in | Labor Day | Snowman |
| Christmas Tree | Life-size | Sort Out |
| Course Work | Lifespan | Spreadsheet |
| Database | Life Vest | Sweet Tooth |
| Doorbell | Living Room | Take Off |
| Drop Out | Long-lasting | Tennis Shoes |
| Editor-in-chief | Long-term | Three-dimensional |
| English-speaking | Loudspeaker | Time Capsule |
| Extracurricular | Make Over | Time-saving |
| Father-in-law | Marketplace | Timetable |
| Fill Up | Merry-go-round | U-turn |
| Fine Art | Mouth-watering | Underdog |
| Fireproof | Movie Theater | Up-to-date |
| Full-length | Myself | Videocassette |
| Full Moon | Nationwide | Well-being |
| Fund-raiser | Notebook | Woodpecker |
| Get Away | On-site | Word-of-mouth |
| Gingerbread | Ourselves | World-famous |
| Grandchild | Outer Space | X-ray |
| Grand Jury | Over-the-counter | Yearbook |
| Good-looking | Pancake | Zookeeper |
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Closed Compound Words
These are formed using two unique and independent words written as one. Unlike other types, a closed compound word doesn’t have spaces or special characters.
- Airborne
You can transmit airborne diseases like COVID-19 to others by sneezing and coughing.
- Breathtaking
The sea view from my bedroom window is breathtaking.
- Database
Our company plans to build a new database for all our clients’ information.
- Extracurricular
Geneva likes to join and attend extracurricular activities at her school.
- Fireproof
My grandfather has a fireproof safe for all his important documents, jewelry, and money.
- Gingerbread
My sister invites me to make a gingerbread house for Christmas.
- Headlight
The headlight in Carlo’s car is not working.
- Jaywalk
There are signs warning people not to jaywalk, but people still do it.
- Knothole
I get weird vibes from him because he has the habit of peeking through the knothole to watch other people.
- Loudspeaker
Glen put the call on loudspeaker so we could hear the whole conversation.
- Marketplace
You can buy and sell almost anything on the Facebook marketplace.
- Nationwide
We are currently experiencing a nationwide water interruption.
- Ourselves
Nowadays, it’s best to trust ourselves than other people.
- Proofread
She likes to thoroughly proofread her essay before submitting them to her teacher.
- Spreadsheet
I use Microsoft Excel to create spreadsheet files on my computer.
- Timetable
May I know where I can see the train timetable going to the city?
- Underdog
We believe our underdog basketball team will win this season.
- Videocassette
Can you teach me how to use your videocassette recorder, grandpa?
- Woodpecker
A woodpecker uses its strong beak to make holes in trees and search for food.
- Yearbook
The school photography club will take our yearbook photos today!
Open Compound Words
When there’s a space that separates a compound word, it’s called an open compound word. These words are separate but still have different meanings when used together. Other examples of open compound words include:
- Bow Tie
The new CEO prefers to wear a bow tie rather than a necktie to complete his work outfit.
- Cave In
The earthquake was so strong that I thought the ground below me would cave in.
- Christmas Tree
Mom and I will look for the perfect Christmas tree tomorrow.
- Course Work
Agatha’s English professor gives her a lot of course work to pass the semester.
- Fine Art
There are many antiques and fine art in the new museum.
- Full Moon
Can you join me in watching the full moon tonight?
- Grand Jury
The grand jury will hear the testimony of all the witnesses in the case this week.
- Jigsaw Puzzle
This world map jigsaw puzzle is so big that we must spend many nights completing it.
- Labor Day
In the US, we celebrate Labor Day on the first Monday of September.
- Life Vest
A life vest and life jacket have the same primary purpose – to prevent you from drowning.
- Living Room
Dad wants to change the interior design of our living room, but mom thinks it’s just a waste of money.
- Movie Theater
Liam plans to ask Cleo out on a date to the movie theater.
- Outer Space
The little boy asks his dad if he can buy him a spacecraft so he can go to outer space.
- Photo ID
Here’s the application form, and please do not forget to attach a clear photo ID before submitting it.
- Post Office
There is a notice that my parcel will arrive at the post office tomorrow.
- Real Estate
Clementine is a great and successful real estate agent, which is why her company values her.
- Role Play
With her family’s influence and no real acting talent, many complained that she didn’t deserve to be the main character in the new school role play.
- Sweet Tooth
My little sister has a sweet tooth. Give her a box of chocolates, and she will love you.
- Tennis Shoes
This new pair of tennis shoes is from my supportive parents, whom I love the most.
- Time Capsule
My friends and I will bury a time capsule with wishes for our future selves.
Hyphenated Compound Words
A hyphenated compound word is easy to recognize because of its special character. It is two or more words joined together and separated by a hyphen. Here are some examples of a hyphenated compound word in an English sentence:
- A-frame
Unlike what other people say, the A-frame house is not cheap to build, but it is durable.
- Check-in
According to the hotel’s policy, we must check-in at two in the afternoon.
- Editor-in-chief
Wrenne is the new editor-in-chief of a famous magazine.
- Father-in-law
My father-in-law is celebrating his birthday on Sunday, here’s your invitation!
- Fund-raiser
The fund-raiser has concerns about distance and security at the sports fest venue.
- High-tech
I’m jealous of my friend’s home appliances because everything is high-tech and expensive.
- In-depth
Owners of high-rise condominiums expect contractors to provide in-depth monitoring during project completion.
- King-size
Except for the width, a queen and a king-size bed has the same length of 80 inches.
- Life-size
What if we give her a life-size standee of her favorite celebrity?
- Long-term
Looking for long-term investment is the best thing to do rather than waste your money on temporary luxuries.
- Merry-go-round
The little boy has been waiting for his turn at the merry-go-round for hours despite his mother coaxing him to try tomorrow.
- On-site
We need to get to your first on-site filming location early tomorrow.
- Over-the-counter
Be careful when taking over-the-counter medications, as others can harm your health.
- Self-service
We’ll eat at a self-service restaurant later, is that okay with you?
- Three-dimensional
The third participant has excellent skills in using three-dimensional effects in painting.
- U-turn
That U-turn slot is out of place and is likely to cause many accidents.
- Up-to-date
I like watching home design videos on YouTube to get up-to-date with the most innovative home ideas.
- Well-being
A healthy diet promotes a sense of well-being.
- Word-of-mouth
Word-of-mouth is their primary marketing strategy.
- X-ray
The doctor wants to see my X-ray results.
Compound Verbs
There are three sub-categories within each type of compound word. A compound verb comprises two separate regular verbs to describe an action. Usually, compound verbs come under open compound words.
- Ask Out
“Mia, is he the one you want to ask out?”
- Blow Up
His enemies will do everything to blow up his plan.
- Call Off
It’s best to call off the outdoor event if it continues to rain.
- Drop Out
Many students drop out of school due to financial, personal, and social issues.
- Fill Up
Students who wish to join must fill up the form and submit it to their professors today.
- Get Away
I promise you’ll never get away from your crimes!
- Make Over
Are you sure you want a total make over just to make him like you?
- Pass Away
It’s a harrowing thought, but many will pass away because of the super typhoon.
- Sort Out
It’s time to sort out your things and just keep the essential things.
- Take Off
The airplane will take off soon, hurry!
Compound Nouns
People use these words to label something with a new name. A compound noun is usually formed by combining two nouns or an adjective and a noun. However, there are other combinations.
- Caregiver
Sheena’s mom is working as a caregiver in the US.
- Doorbell
Please press the doorbell three times. Thank you!
- Grandchild
She’s his grandparents’ favorite grandchild.
- Headache
“Please try to keep the noise down; I have a terrible headache.”
- Heartbeat
“Oh, this is bad – my heartbeat becomes irregular whenever he smiles.”
- Innkeeper
The innkeeper welcomes all their guests with a smile.
- Lifespan
“Did you know that an individual with down syndrome has a lifespan of 60 years?”
- Myself
“I’ll do it myself if you don’t want to do it.”
- Notebook
There’s an apparent notebook shortage whenever the new school year starts.
- Pancake
He woke up early to make a big pancake for his lover.
- Quarterback
I can’t believe my parent’s love story is the typical quarterback who fell in love with the nerd type.
- Rattlesnake
“Quick! She was bit by a poisonous rattlesnake!”
- Skateboard
Dave feels down because his savings aren’t enough for a new skateboard.
- Snowman
My son loves to play outside during winter to build a snowman.
- Zookeeper
“This is Jake, our new zookeeper!”
Check out our list of interjection words and our list of contraction words.
Compound Adjectives
Regular and compound adjectives both describe a noun. But unlike a regular adjective, a compound is made of two words joined with a hyphen.
- Absent-minded
He becomes more absent-minded as his dementia progresses.
- Brown-eyed
Alexa’s newborn is a beautiful brown-eyed baby.
- Full-length
It’ll be great if I can paint the frame of my full-length mirror green, so it matches the colors of my room.
- English-speaking
He can just ask around if ever he gets lost. He’s an English-speaking visitor.
- Good-looking
Jay is tall, dark, and quite good-looking.
- Hard-working
Gia is a very hard-working person, and she deserves rest.
- Long-lasting
The accident caused her to suffer long-lasting psychological damage.
- Mouth-watering
There are lots of mouth-watering sweets in the buffet!
- Part-time:
He needs to get a part-time job to earn money.
- Time-saving
Mom likes to purchase items with time-saving features.
- World-famous
June dreams of being a world-famous singer someday.Are you concerned about writing incomplete sentences? Check out our guide to sentence fragments for writers.
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