Compound Words

What are Compound Words?

Compound words are made by joining two or more words; the combination creates a new word. They can be formed using two nouns, e.g. basketball, two non-nouns, e.g. blowup, or a noun and non-noun, e.g. sunrise. It is important to note that the words do not always keep their original meaning, e.g. breakfast. Our list of compound words contains 500 words.

There are three types of compound words:

• Closed compound words, e.g., football, peanut,
• Open compound words, e.g., cell phone, high school, and
• Hyphenated compound words, e.g., in-depth, runner-up.

List of Compound Words

To determine if a compound word is one word, two words or hyphenated, use a dictionary to look up the word or our lists below. The list below excludes both fractions and compound numbers from 21 to 91. These words are hyphenated, e.g., two-thirds, one-half, thirty-nine and ninety-one.

able-bodied	girlfriend	sandpaper
A-frame	goldfish	scarecrow
afternoon	grandchildren	scatterbrain
afterthought	grandfather	school day
airborne	grandmother	school year
airline	grandparent	screwdriver
airmail	grapefruit	seacoast
airplane	grass roots	seafood
airport	grasshopper	seagull
airtight	gridlock	seaport
anchorperson	groundwater	search engine
another	grownup	seashell
anybody	haircut	seaside
anyone	hamburger	seaweed
anyplace	handcuff	seesaw
anything	handlebar	self-concept
anytime	handshake	self-service
anyway	hanky-panky	shipwreck
anywhere	haystack	shoelace
applesauce	headache	shortstop
audiotape	headlight	showdown
awestruck	headquarters	showoff
backache	headset	showroom
backboard	heart attack	shrink-wrap
backbone	heartwarming	sidewalk
backbreaking	heat lightening	silverware
backfire	heath care	single-minded
background	help desk	sister-in-law
backlash	herringbone	skateboard
backpack	herself	skyscraper
backup	high school	sleeping bag
backyard	high-tech	snowball -
ballpark	highway	snowfall
ballroom	hilltop	snowflake
barefoot	himself	snowman
baseball	hockey puck	snowplow
basketball	ho-hum	snowshoe
bathroom	home page	snowstorm
bathtub	homemade	softball
bedrock	homeowner	somebody
bedroom	homesick	someday
bedspread	homework	somehow
beforehand	hot dog	someone
benchmark	however	someplace
birdhouse	hush-hush	something
birthday	ice cream	Sometimes
blackbird	in-depth	somewhat
blackboard	indoor	somewhere
blowup	infield	spacewalk
blueberry	in-law	sports drink
blueprint	inside	spotlight
bookstore	into	spreadsheet
bottled water	itself	springtime
boyfriend	jellyfish	square root
brainstorm	key pal	starfish
breakdown	keyboard	statewide
breakfast	kickoff	stepbrother
breathtaking	know-how	stepfather
briefcase	know-it-all	stepmother
broadcast	knucklehead	stepsister
brother-in-law	ladybug	storyteller
buildup	landlord	straightforward
bulldog	leapfrog	strawberry
burnout	leftover	strong-arm
butterfly	life span	sugarcoat
buttermilk	lifeboat	suitcase
byproduct	lifeguard	summertime
campfire	life-size	sundown
cannot	lifestyle	sunflower
car pool	lightheaded	sunlight
caregiver	lighthouse	sunrise
carpool	lightweight	sunset
carryover	lipstick	sunshine
cash flow	longshoreman	sunstroke
catcher’s mitt	loudspeaker	suntan
cell phone	makeup	superhighway
chalkboard	marketplace	sweatshirt
chat room	maybe	sweetheart
check-in	meantime	tablecloth
checkout	meanwhile	teammate
child care	memory stick	tennis court
Christmas tree	merry-go-round	textbook
churchgoer	miniskirt	Thanksgiving
citywide	moonlight	theme park
civil rights	mother-in-law	themselves
classmate	motorcycle	thirty-nine
clean-cut	myself	three-dimensional
cleanup	nationwide	thunderstorm
clipboard	network	time line
close-up	nevertheless	time savor
cockpit	new world	timetable
colorblind	newscast	tip-off
comic strip	newspaper	tiptoe
common sense	nightgown	today
cookbook	nitty-gritty	toenail
co-op	nobody	together
cooperative	notebook	toothbrush
copperhead	not-for-profit	topsy-turvy
copyright	nowhere	toss-up
countryside	oatmeal	touchdown
course work	off-site	trailblazer
cowboy	one-sided	tree house
crosswalk	ongoing	tryout
crossword puzzle	online	tugboat
cupcake	on-site	turnaround
database	ourselves	turnpike
daydream	outcome	turtleneck
daylight	outfield	two-thirds
daytime	outfit	undercover
desktop	outlaw	underdog
dirt bike	outline	underground
disc drive	outside	understatement
disc jockey	outsource	undertake
doorbell	outstanding	uproot
doorknob	oven mitt	upset
downpour	overalls	upstairs
downstairs	overcoat	uptown
drawbridge	overexposure	u-turn
driveway	overkill	vice president
drugstore	overlook	videotape
dugout	overpass	vineyard
dump truck	pancake	voice mail
earring	paper clip	waiting room
earthquake	paperback	walking stick
earthworm	paperwork	warm-up
easygoing	payoff	wastebasket
editor-in-chief	payroll	watercolor
empty-handed	peanut	waterfall
energy bar	peppermint	waterfront
everybody	percent	watermelon
everyday	photo ID	weatherperson
everyone	pinball	web site
everything	pinpoint	webpage
everywhere	pitch hitter	weekday
extracurricular	playground	weekend
eyeball	playmate	well-being
eyebrow	ponytail	well-to-do
eyelid	popcorn	wheelchair
fact sheet	post office	whenever
father-in-law	postcard	whirlpool
fine arts	pothole	whiteboard
fingernail	prime minister	wholesale
fingerprint	printout	windmill
firefighter	proofread	windpipe
fireplace	quarterback	windshield
fireproof	quicksand	windsurfing
firewood	railroad	wingspan
fireworks	rainbow	wiretapping
flashback	raincoat	without
flashlight	rattlesnake	woodland
flowchart	rawhide	woodpecker
flowerpot	real estate	word processing
folklore	redhead	word wall
follow-up	redwood	word-of-mouth
football	remote control	work boots
forever	rock band	workday
for-profit	role play	workforce
free-for-all	rollerblade	workload
freelance	rollout	workplace
french fry	roly-poly	workshop
freshwater	run-in	workstation
front-runner	runner-up	worn-out
frostbite	runway	wristwatch
fund-raiser	safety glasses	wrongdoing
gentleman	sagebrush	x-ray
get-together	sailboat	yourself
gingerbread	salad dressing

Closed Words

These words have no spaces. Our list contains hundreds of words, so we organized them in alphabetical order. Click on a letter below to obtain a list of those compound words.

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

I

J

K

L

M

N

O

P

Q

R

S

T

U

V

W

Y

Z

A
afternoon	afterthought	airborne	airline
airmail	airplane	airport	airtight
anchorperson	another	anybody	anyone
anyplace	anything	anytime	awestruck
anyway	anywhere	applesauce	audiotape

B
backache	backboard	backbone	backbreaking
backfire	background	backlash	backpack
backup	backyard	ballpark	ballroom
barefoot	baseball	basketball	bathroom
bedrock	bedroom	bedspread	beforehand
benchmark	birdhouse	birthday	blackbird
blackboard	blowup	blueprint	bookstore
boyfriend	brainstorm	breakdown	breakfast
breathtaking	broadcast	buildup	bulldog
burnout	buttermilk	byproduct

C
campfire	cannot	caregiver	carpool
carryover	chalkboard	checkout	churchgoer
citywide	classmate	cleanup	clipboard
cockpit	colorblind	cookbook	cooperative
copperhead	copyright	countryside	cowboy
crosswalk	cupcake

D
database	daydream	daylight	daytime
desktop	doorbell	doorknob	downpour
downstairs	drawbridge	driveway	drugstore
dugout

E
earring	earthquake	earthworm	easygoing
everybody	everywhere	everyone	everything
everyday	extracurricular	eyeball	eyebrow
eyelid	everywhere

F
fingernail	fingerprint	firefighter	fireplace
fireproof	firewood	fireworks	flashback
flashlight	flowchart	flowerpot	folklore
football	forever	freelance	freshwater
frostbite

G
gentlemen	gingerbread	girlfriend	goldfish
grandchildren	grandfather	grandmother	grandparent
grapefruit	grasshopper	gridlock	groundwater
grownup

H
haircut	hamburger	handcuff	handlebar
handshake	haystack	headache	headlight
headquarter	headset	heartwarming	herringbone
herself	highway	hilltop	himself
homemade	homeowner	homesick	homework
however

I
iceberg	icebox	icebreaker	inchworm
indoor	infield	inside	into
itself	innkeeper

J
jackknife	jackpot	jackrabbit	jawbone
jaywalk	jellyfish	jigsaw	jumpsuit

K
keyboard	kickoff	knucklehead	keepsake
kettledrum	kickball	keyhole	keynote
killjoy	kindhearted	kneecap	knighthood
knothole	knucklehead	keystone

L
leapfrog	ladybug	landlord	leftover
lifeboat	lifeguard	lifestyle	lightheaded
lighthouse	lightweight	lipstick	longshoremen
loudspeaker

M
makeup	marketplace	maybe	meantime
meanwhile	miniskirt	moonlight	motorcycle
myself

N
nationwide	network	nevertheless	newscast
newspaper	nightgown	nobody	notebook
nowhere

O
oatmeal	ongoing	online	ourselves
outcome	outfield	outfit	outlaw
outline	outside	outsource	outstanding
overalls	overcoat	overexposure	overkill
overlook	overpass

P
pancake	paperback	paperwork	payoff
payroll	peanuts	peppermint	percent
pinball	playground	playmate	ponytail
popcorn	postcard	pothole	printout
proofread

Q
quarrelsome	quarterback	quartermaster	quicksand
quicksilver

R
railroad	rainbow	raincoat	rattlesnake
rawhide	redhead	redwood	rollerblade
rollout	runway

S
sagebrush	sailboat	sandpaper	scarecrow
scatterbrain	screwdriver	seacoast	seafood
seagull	seaport	seashell	seaside
seaweed	seesaw	shipwreck	shoelace
shortstop	shutdown	showoff	showroom
sidewalk	silverware	skateboard	skyscraper
snowball	snowfall	snowflake	snowman
snowplow	snowshoe	snowstorm	softball
somebody	someday	somehow	someone
someplace	something	sometimes	somewhat
somewhere	spacewalk	spotlight	spreadsheet
springtime	starfish	statewide	stepbrother
stepfather	stepmother	stepsister	storyteller
straightforward	strawberry	sugarcoat	suitcase
summertime	sundown	sunflower	sunlight
sunrise	sunset	sunshine	sunstroke
suntan	superhighway	sweatshirt

T
tablecloth	teammate	textbook	Thanksgiving
themselves	thunderstorm	timetable	tiptoe
today	toenail	together	toothbrush
touchdown	trailblazer	tryout	tugboat
turnaround	turnpike	turtleneck

U
undercover	underdog	underground	understatement
undertake	upstairs	uptown	uproot
upset

V
venturesome	videocassette	videotape	vineyard
viewfinder	viewpoint	volleyball	vouchsafe

W
wastebasket	watercolor	waterfall	waterfront
watermelon	weatherperson	webpage	weekday
weekend	wheelchair	whenever	whirlpool
whiteboard	wholesale	windmill	windpipe
windshield	windsurfing	wingspan	wiretapping
without	woodland	woodpecker	workday
workforce	workload	workplace	workshop
workstation	wristwatch	wrongdoing

Y
yardarm	yardstick	yearbook	yourself

Z
zookeeper

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Open Words

Open compound words have a space between the words. The following are open compound words:

bottled water	car pool	cash flow	cell membrane
cell phone	chat room	child care	Christmas tree
civil right	comic strip	common sense	course work
crossword puzzle	dirt bike	disk drive	disc jockey
dump truck	energy bar	fact sheet	fine art
French fry	grass root	health care	heart attack
heat lightning	help desk	high school	hockey puck
home page	hot dog	ice cream	jigsaw puzzle
jungle gym	junk food	jumping jack	key pal
killer whale	Labor Day	labor union	laser printer
land mine	lance corporal	landing field	landing strip
light bulb	life jacket	life raft	life vest
life belt	life buoy	Little Dipper	little finger
life span	memory stick	new world	oven mitt
paper clip	photo ID	pinch hitter	post office
paddle wheel	passenger pigeon	past tense	past participle
peace pipe	physical education	picture graph	planet kingdom
prime minister	radiant energy	radio wave	real time
report card	respiratory system	rib cage	right angle
right triangle	ring finger	rock dove	rocking chair
rocking horse	role model	roller coaster	Roman Catholic
root beer	real estate	remote control	rock band
role play	safety glasses	salad dressing	school day
school year	search engine	sleeping bag	sports drink
square root	tennis court	theme park	time line
time capsule	tree house	vacuum cleaner	Valentine’s Day
vampire bat	vanilla bean	vending machine	vice president
video camera	videocassette recorder	video game	videotape recorder
virtual reality	vocal chords	voice box	voice mail
waiting room	walking stick	web site	word processing
word wall	work boots

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Hyphenated Words

The list below excludes spelled out fractions and compound numbers from 21 to 91. Please note you hyphenate all spelled out fractions, e.g., two-thirds, one-half, and compound numbers from 21 to 91, e.g., thirty-nine, ninety-one. The following are hyphenated compound words:

able-bodied	A-frame	brother-in-law	check-in
clean-cut	close-up	co-op	editor-in-chief
empty-handed	father-in-law	follow-up	for-profit
free-for-all	front-runner	fund-raiser	get-together
hanky-panky	high-tech	ho-hum	hush-hush
in-depth	in-law	in-line skate	jack-o’-lantern
jet-propelled	king-size	know-how	know-it-all
life-size	merry-go-round	mother-in-law	nitty-gritty
not-for-profit	off-site	one-sided	on-site
pitch-black	pitch-dark	play-off	quick-tempered
roly-poly	run-in	runner-up	self-concept
self-service	shrink-wrap	single-minded	strong-arm
three-dimensional	tip-off	topsy-turvy	toss-up
two-dimensional	u-turn	warm-up	well-being
well-to-do	word-of-mouth	warn-out	X-ray

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Source: Fry, E.B., Ph.D. & Kress, J.E., Ed.D. (2006). The Reading Teacher’s Book of Lists 5th Edition. San Francisco, CA: Jossey Bass.

Merriam-Webster Children’s Dictionary, 3rd Edition 2008.