150 Examples of Compound Words for Kids (2024)

What are Compound Words?

Compound words are formed when two or more words are joined together to create a new word that has an entirely new meaning.

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For example, “sun” and “flower” are two different words, but when fused together, they form another word, Sunflower. These words are formed by either adding a hyphen or just using the two words as a single term. The spelling of the two words is not necessarily changed when they are joined together, but the definition becomes unique.

Consider the words “make up” and “makeup”. This is a more advanced example of a compound word because the resulting combination is a hom*onym and can be used in more than one way.

Make up your mind fast.

My makeup was ruined by the rain!

I have a makeup exam tomorrow.

In the first sentence, make up is a verb. In the second sentence, makeup is used as a noun. In the third sentence, we see makeup as an adjective describing “exam.”

Types of Compound Words

There are three types of compound words;

1. Closed Compound words: These words are written as a single word, such as haircut, newspaper, grandmother, etc.
2. Open Compounds: Compound words that are written as separate words such as high school, living room, school bus, etc.
3. Hyphenated Compounds: Words that use a hyphen in between two words, such as well-known, second-rate, merry-go-round, etc.

Fun ways to teach Compound Words

Every child has a different way of learning. What works for one may not work for another so we have created these fun ways to teach your kid compound words. Choose the best activity that tailors to your kid’s learning style.

• Visual learning style – Prepare flashcards, half with words and half with pictures. Have your child lay them out in grid style and flip two cards over at a time. The goal is to find a word and a picture to create a compound word. Students will have to use their memory to succeed at this game.
• Kinesthetic learning style- Give students a compound word and have them draw the two “parts” of the compound word. For example, for “doghouse” a kid would draw a dog and a house.
• Help the kids make compound word daisies. Have them write a word in the middle of the paper flower and ask them to write compound words that utilize the word on the petals.

Once your students know the basics of compounds, you can help them move onto more difficult words.

Practice with these 150 examples of compound words:

1. Airplane
2. Airport
3. Angelfish
4. Antfarm
5. Ballpark
6. Beachball
7. Bikerack
8. Billboard
9. Blackhole
10. Blueberry
11. Boardwalk
12. Bodyguard
13. Bookstore
14. Bow Tie
15. Brainstorm
16. Busboy
17. Cabdriver
18. Candlestick
19. Car wash
20. Cartwheel
21. Catfish
22. Caveman
23. Chocolate chip
24. Crossbow
25. Daydream
26. Deadend
27. Doghouse
28. Dragonfly
29. Dress shoes
30. Dropdown
31. Earlobe
32. Earthquake
33. Eyeballs
34. Father-in-law
35. Fingernail
36. Firecracker
37. Firefighter
38. Firefly
39. Firework
40. Fishbowl
41. Fisherman
42. Fishhook
43. Football
44. Forget
45. Forgive
46. French fries
47. Goodnight
48. Grandchild
49. Groundhog
50. Hairband
51. Hamburger
52. Handcuff
53. Handout
54. Handshake
55. Headband
56. Herself
57. High heels
58. Honeydew
59. Hopscotch
60. Horseman
61. Horseplay
62. Hotdog
63. Ice cream
64. Itself
65. Kickball
66. Kickboxing
67. Laptop
68. Lifetime
69. Lighthouse
70. Mailman
71. Midnight
72. Milkshake
73. Moonrocks
74. Moonwalk
75. Mother-in-law
76. Movie theater
77. Newborn
78. Newsletter
79. Newspaper
80. Nightlight
81. Nobody
82. Northpole
83. Nosebleed
84. Outer space
85. Over-the-counter
86. Overestimate
87. Paycheck
88. Policeman
89. Ponytail
90. Post card
91. Racquetball
92. Railroad
93. Rainbow
94. Raincoat
95. Raindrop
96. Rattlesnake
97. Rockband
98. Rocketship
99. Rowboat
100. Sailboat
101. Schoolbooks
102. Schoolwork
103. Shoelace
104. Showoff
105. Skateboard
106. Snowball
107. Snowflake
108. Softball
109. Solar system
110. Soundproof
111. Spaceship
112. Spearmint
113. Starfish
114. Starlight
115. Stingray
116. Strawberry
117. Subway
118. Sunglasses
119. Sunroof
120. Supercharge
121. Superman
122. Superstar
123. Tablespoon
124. Tailbone
125. Tailgate
126. Take down
127. Takeout
128. Taxpayer
129. Teacup
130. Teammate
131. Teaspoon
132. Tennis shoes
133. Throwback
134. Timekeeper
135. Timeline
136. Timeshare
137. Tugboat
138. Tupperware
139. Underestimate
140. Uplift
141. Upperclassman
142. Uptown
143. Video game
144. Wallflower
145. Waterboy
146. Watermelon
147. Wheelchair
148. Without
149. Workboots
150. Worksheet