Compound words list
A compound word is two words joined to make a new one: sun and flower make sunflower. This list has 40 compound words children know, each shown with the two smaller words inside it.
Free printable PDF, 1st grade to 3rd grade.
One page, black and white, prints the same every time.
What is on the sheet
Outside
| Compound word | Made from |
|---|---|
| sunflower | sun + flower |
| sunshine | sun + shine |
| rainbow | rain + bow |
| snowman | snow + man |
| snowflake | snow + flake |
| playground | play + ground |
| sandbox | sand + box |
| seashell | sea + shell |
| sunset | sun + set |
| backyard | back + yard |
Animals
| Compound word | Made from |
|---|---|
| starfish | star + fish |
| goldfish | gold + fish |
| jellyfish | jelly + fish |
| butterfly | butter + fly |
| ladybug | lady + bug |
| honeybee | honey + bee |
| bullfrog | bull + frog |
| rattlesnake | rattle + snake |
| catfish | cat + fish |
| bluebird | blue + bird |
Home and school
| Compound word | Made from |
|---|---|
| bedroom | bed + room |
| bathtub | bath + tub |
| toothbrush | tooth + brush |
| doorbell | door + bell |
| bookshelf | book + shelf |
| homework | home + work |
| notebook | note + book |
| backpack | back + pack |
| bedtime | bed + time |
| classroom | class + room |
Food
| Compound word | Made from |
|---|---|
| cupcake | cup + cake |
| pancake | pan + cake |
| popcorn | pop + corn |
| peanut | pea + nut |
| meatball | meat + ball |
| blueberry | blue + berry |
| grapefruit | grape + fruit |
| watermelon | water + melon |
| oatmeal | oat + meal |
| cheesecake | cheese + cake |
Reading a compound word
A long word is less scary once a child spots the two short words inside it. Cover one half with a finger, read the other, then read the whole: snow, man, snowman. Most compound words keep the meaning of their parts, so a toothbrush is a brush for your teeth and a bookshelf is a shelf for books.
Some do not. A butterfly is not a fly made of butter, and a ladybug is a beetle, not a lady. Those make good talking points: ask where the name might have come from.
Compound words by grade
2nd grade uses the meanings of two short words to work out the meaning of a compound word, as in birdhouse, lighthouse and notebook (CCSS L.2.4d). Many 1st grade classes start earlier by joining two picture words, and 3rd grade keeps using them to read longer words.
Common questions
- Is ice cream a compound word?
- Yes, an open one. Compound words come in three kinds: closed, written as one word (sunflower); open, with a space (ice cream); and hyphenated (mother-in-law). This list has only closed compounds, because those are the ones children find inside a long word.
- Is butterfly really a compound word?
- Yes. It is made of butter and fly, even though the meaning does not come from its parts. A word counts as compound because it is built from two words, whatever it means.