Examples of Open, Closed, Hyphenated Compound Words for Kids

Today we’ll look at a simple list of compounds words that you can teach to preschool and kg kids. Below is the list of Compound Words arranged in an alphabetical order.

What are Compound Words?

Compound words are the words which are created when two words are joined to form a new word which has completely different meaning.

For Example, “Snow” and “Man” are two different words, but when joined, they form another word “Snowman”.

To help kids better understand the concepts we have broken down each compound word into its sub words.

100 Examples of Compound Words for Kids

Compound WordBreakdown of Each Word
airportair + port
anymoreany + more
anyplaceany + place
anythingany + thing
anywhereany + where
basketballbasket + ball
bathrobebath + robe
bathtubbath + tub
battleshipbattle + ship
briefcasebrief + case
buttercupbutter + cup
butterflybutter + fly
campfirecamp + fire
campgroundcamp + ground
candlestickcandles + tick
cardboardcard + board
carpetcar + pet
dishwaterdish +w ater
doorbelldoor + bell
doormatdoor + mat
doorstepdoor + step
doorstopdoor + stop
dragonflydragon + fly
earacheear + ache
earringsear + rings
evergreenever + green
everybodyevery + body
everydayevery + day
footballfoot + ball
footprintfoot + print
forgetfor + get
grandfathergrand + father
grandmothergrand + mother
grandstandgrand + stand
grasshoppergrass + hopper
heartbeatheart + beat
heartbrokenheart + broken
highwayhigh + way
homeworkhome + work
honeycombhoney + comb
hookwormhook + worm
horseflyhorse + fly
houseboathouse + boat
insidein + side
jawbonejaw + bone
ladybuglady + bug
landladyland + lady
landlordland + lord
leadershipleader + ship
lengthwiselength + wise
lighthouselight + house
loudspeakerloud + speaker
matchstickmatch + stick
meatballmeat + ball
outfieldout + field
outfitout + fit
outgrowout + grow
outlawout + law
outletout+ let
outnumberout + number
outpatientout + patient
outsideout + side
overboardover + board
overdoseover + dose
overdueover + due
pancakepan + cake
partnershippartner + ship
penknifepen + knife
photocopyphoto + copy
playgroundplay + ground
playroomplay + room
popcornpop + corn
postmanpost+ man
railwayrail + way
rainbowrain + bow
raindropsrain + drops
sandbagssand + bags
seafoodsea + food
seaweedsea + weed
skateboardskate + board
snowboardsnow + board
spaceshipspace + ship
staircasestair + case
starlightstar + light
sunlightsun + light
sunshinesun + shine
superhumansuper + human
supernaturalsuper + natural
surfboardsurf + board
tailgatetail + gate
teacuptea + cup
teapottea + pot
thunderstormthunder + storm
tightropetight + rope
timetabletime + table
tombstonetombs + tone
toolboxtool + box
toothbrushtooth + brush
understandunder + stand
wallpaperwall + paper
wardrobeward + robe
woodlandwood + land
woodpilewood + pile
woodshedwood + shed
woodworkwood + work
woodwormwood + worm
yourselfyour + self

Phew!, that was a really long list. One thing you all must have noticed is that the sub words have different meaning than the compound word which is actually good. This property helps us form more compound words.

Types of Compound Words

There are three types of compound words – open, closed and hyphenated.

  1. Open Compound Words are words that remain separate with a space between them. for example – Space shuttle, Video game etc.
  2. Closed Compound Words are written as a single word, such as teapot, sunshine etc.
  3. Hyphenated Compound Words are written with a hyphen between two sub-words for example – good-looking, close-up etc.

Examples of Open Compound Words

Open compound words are formed when a modifying adjective is attached to a noun to create a new noun. You must note that it is not simply an adjective describing a noun in a sentence, but instead, the compound which is formed is actually a whole new word. 

We place a space between the modifying adjective and the noun, which keeps the compound open, and hard to identify.

Let’s look at some examples of open compound words:

  1. full moon
  2. high school
  3. real estate
  4. living room
  5. dinner table
  6. new moon
  7. real estate
  8. coffee table 
  9. paper back
  10. racing car
  11. mountain bike 
  12. jogging pants 
  13. foster mom 
  14. high school
  15. school bus
  16. ice cream
  17. coffee mug

Examples of Closed Compound Words

Closed compound words are two or more words that are joined together as one word. Closed compound words look like one word. Initially they were not accepted as words but over time, many started accepting them as “real words” in English.

Following are some examples of closed compound words:

  1.  airport
  2. basketball
  3. bathtub
  4. battleship
  5. butterfly
  6. cardboard
  7. dragonfly
  8. football
  9. grandfather
  10. homework
  11. lighthouse
  12. outside
  13. pancake
  14. rainbow
  15. spaceship

Examples of Hyphenated Compound Words

Hyphenated compound words are usually characterized by hyphen symbol ‘-‘ between the sub-words.

WordsSentence Examples 
accident-proneIt is an accident-prone area, please be careful.
good-lookingHe is a good-looking boy.
well-knownGandhi is a well-known personality.
no-oneno-one came to see us.
co-operatewe should co-operate with our teammates.
custom-builtI will get a custom-built computer for you.
high-risea high-rise building is a very tall building.
high-techBangalore is a hub of high-tech industries.
far-offMadagascar is a far-off country.
close-upI need a close-up of wild animals.
left-handedGanguly is a left-handed batsmen.
white-collarI love white-collar jobs.
worn-outI will replace the worn-out jeans with a new one.
self-respectYou need you have self-respect.
check-inMy check-in time for flight is 01:30 PM.
check-outMy check-out from restaurant was at 09:30 PM.
runner-upKolkata was twice runner-up of formula cup match.
empty-handedWhy have you returned empty-handed ?
long-distanceIt is difficult to maintain a long-distance relationship.
long-termLong-term investment is the best investment.
one-sidedToday’s match was one-sided.
one-wayMake your mind up one-way or the other
ready-madeThese are ready-made sarees.
part-timeI am looking for a part-time job.

Note : Every word using hyphen symbol ‘-‘ to connect its sub-words is a hyphenated compound word.

Find compound words worksheet to help your kids practice what they have learned.

  1. Compound Words Activity Workbook for Kids