Compound words
Words built from two or more root words, and the three ways they can be written.
The answer
A compound word is made from two or more root words joined together to make a new word, such as foot + ball = football.
Examples
We wrote on the whiteboard.
White + board: a Year 2 example from the national curriculum.
A blackbird sang in the garden.
Grandad bought a map at the bookshop.
We had ice-cream after lunch.
Some compounds are written with a hyphen.
Maya packed her raincoat in her schoolbag.
Rain + coat and school + bag. Both parts keep their spelling.
How to spot it
- Split the word. If both parts are real words that can stand alone, it is a compound: rain + bow.
- The meaning usually comes from both parts: a bookshop is a shop that sells books.
- Compounds can be written as one word (daydream), with a hyphen (blow-dry) or as two words (English teacher).
- In a word-pair question, join the parts in the order the instructions give. Back + pack makes backpack, but pack + back does not. Check the spelling and meaning of the whole word.
The common mistake
Calling a word with a prefix or suffix a compound.
Unhappy and helpful are not compounds, because un- and -ful cannot stand alone. A compound needs two root words.
When it is taught
- First met
- Year 2
- On the pupil word list
- Year 2, as “compound”
Year 2 names compound and forms nouns by compounding, using the curriculum’s examples whiteboard and superman.
Try a question
Which of these is a compound word? Tick one.
- careful
- sunshine
- unkind
- jumping
Show the answer
Answer: sunshine
Sun and shine are both words on their own. The others are a root word with a prefix or suffix.
Related terms
More grammar terms
Questions parents ask
What are some common compound word examples?
Raincoat (rain + coat), schoolbag (school + bag), toothbrush (tooth + brush), bedroom (bed + room) and playground (play + ground). Some compounds are written with spaces or hyphens, so check a dictionary when you are unsure.
How do you solve compound word questions in verbal reasoning?
Read the instruction to see which group supplies the first part. Try each possible partner, keeping the order and spelling. With rain and tooth in the first group and coat and desk in the second, rain + coat makes raincoat. Check all the other pairs before choosing.
Is ice-cream a compound word?
Yes. The national curriculum glossary lists ice-cream as a compound. Some dictionaries write it as two words, ice cream; both are compounds.
Do compound words keep the spelling of both parts?
Almost always. Both root words keep their spelling: bookshop, daydream, footpath.
When are compound words taught?
In Year 2, where compound is on the terminology list alongside suffix, noun and adjective.
Grammar turns up in 11+ English too
Many 11+ English papers include grammar and punctuation questions alongside comprehension. The free diagnostic checks maths, English and both kinds of reasoning, and shows what to practise next. No card is required.