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Compound Words 1

Compound words are made by joining two smaller words, like “snowman” or “football”. They’re fun to spot and help build a strong vocabulary for 11 Plus success.

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Fascinating Fact:

The word butterfly was once believed to come from an old idea that witches turned into flies to steal butter.

In 11 Plus Verbal Reasoning, compound words test how well you can see connections between smaller words. Recognising these quickly helps with vocabulary, spelling, and problem-solving.

Key Terms

Compound word: A word made by joining two smaller words, like “sunflower”.
Vocabulary: The collection of words a person knows and uses in reading, writing, and speech.
Spelling: The correct way of writing the letters in a word.

To see how these activities fit into wider exams, visit our 11 Plus subjects guide for parents.

Frequently Asked Questions (Click to see answers)

What are compound words in English?

Compound words are formed when two smaller words are joined to create a new word, such as “toothbrush” or “rainbow”.

Why are compound words important for the 11 Plus?

They help test problem-solving and vocabulary skills, which are key for verbal reasoning and understanding language patterns.

What are examples of compound words?

Examples include “football”, “sunshine”, “classroom”, and “snowflake”. Each combines two ideas into one word.

Try These Related Quizzes

Example: Which two words together can make a new, compound word? Select the correct answer from the four choices available.

(hand finger toe) (sun some son)

hand son
hand sun
finger some
hand some

The correct answer is hand some because hand and some together make the compound word handsome.

1 .

Which two words together can make a new, compound word? Choose one word from each group below and select the correct answer from the four choices available.

(home hand life) (time tick tock)

home time

hand tock

life tick

life time

The correct answer is life time because life and time together make the compound word lifetime

2 .

Which two words together can make a new, compound word? Choose one word from each group below and select the correct answer from the four choices available.

(kick moon butter) (where light pass)

kick pass

butter light

moon light

moon pass

The correct answer is moon light because moon and light together make the compound word moonlight. In the past, people believed that moonlight made people crazy, so we got the idea of 'moon madness'. The word lunar, which means 'to do with the moon' is where we get the word 'lunatic'!

3 .

Which two words together can make a new, compound word? Choose one word from each group below and select the correct answer from the four choices available.

(lance dagger spear) (moss flies mint)

lance mint

dagger flies

spear moss

spear mint

The correct answer is spear mint because spear and mint together make the compound word spearmint. My favourite chewing gum flavour!

4 .

Which two words together can make a new, compound word? Choose one word from each group below and select the correct answer from the four choices available.

(they them their) (self day selves)

they day

them self

them selves

their self

The correct answer is them selves because them and selves together make the compound word themselves. Don't get mixed up with your pronouns! There is no such thing as theirselves, even though we hear people use this

5 .

Which two words together can make a new, compound word? Choose one word from each group below and select the correct answer from the four choices available.

(by my lay) (wall wind pass)

by wall

by pass

lay pass

my wind

The correct answer is by pass because by and pass together make the compound word bypass. To bypass something means to avoid it, or go around it. Thank goodness the fourth choice was not correct!

6 .

Which two words together can make a new, compound word? Choose one word from each group below and select the correct answer from the four choices available.

(dish spoon cup) (bottle board can)

dish can

spoon board

cup bottle

cup board

The correct answer is cup board because cup and board together make the compound word cupboard. This should give you an idea of where the word comes from. In the past it was literally a board to hang your cups on. Later doors were added and we had the cupboard!

7 .

Which two words together can make a new, compound word? Choose one word from each group below and select the correct answer from the four choices available.

(heap wide long) (right wine spread)

wide spread

wide right

long spread

heap wine

The correct answer is wide spread because wide and spread together make the compound word widespread. Widespread means 'covering a wide area'

8 .

Which two words together can make a new, compound word? Choose one word from each group below and select the correct answer from the four choices available.

(ham pork chicken) (slice chop burger)

ham burger

pork slice

chicken chop

chicken burger

The correct answer is ham burger because ham and burger together make the compound word hamburger. It was tempting to choose chicken burger, but that would not be a compound word. Tasty, but not compound!

9 .

Which two words together can make a new, compound word? Choose one word from each group below and select the correct answer from the four choices available.

(air under stand) (port court back)

under back

air port

under port

stand court

The correct answer is air port because air and port together make the compound word airport. Do you know the busiest airport in the world? Pay attention to the answer in question 10 to find out

10 .

Which two words together can make a new, compound word? Choose one word from each group below and select the correct answer from the four choices available.

(feel hand touch) (round under down)

feel round

hand down

touch under

touch down

The correct answer is touch down because touch and down together make the compound word touchdown. In answer to the puzzle in question 9, Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport is the world's busiest airport, transporting nearly 100,000,000 (that's one hundred million) passengers each year

Author: Stephen O'Hara