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.
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).
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
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
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