Free compound words worksheets for kindergarten to 5th grade. Little ones add two pictures to make a word (sun + flower = sunflower), early readers do word math and split words in half, and older children match tricky halves and decide whether a compound is written as one word, two words or with a hyphen. Answers for every compound word sheet are printed on the last page, and a fresh mix appears each time you press New. Younger children start with picture compound words, and older ones use the compound words list for word math and sorting.
In short: a compound word joins two smaller words into one new word, like rain + bow = rainbow. This page has compound words worksheets with answers in three levels (kindergarten to 1st grade, 2nd to 3rd grade, 4th to 5th grade) and six activities: picture compound words, word math, split the word, find the compound word, match the halves, and closed, open or hyphenated. All are free to print or download as PDF.
Play the compound word quiz
Three words, and only one is a compound word. Can you spot it? Switch to grades 3 to 5 for longer words.
Compound words worksheets PDF, by grade
Click a sheet to download the PDF, or press Customize to get fresh words in the same activity and level.
Kindergarten and 1st grade
2nd and 3rd grade
4th and 5th grade
What is a compound word?
A compound word is made by joining two smaller words into one new word: foot + ball = football, tooth + brush = toothbrush, butter + fly = butterfly. Often the two parts hint at the meaning (a toothbrush is a brush for your teeth), but not always: a butterfly is not made of butter, and a pineapple is neither a pine nor an apple. That surprise is part of the fun for children.
There are three kinds of compound words:
- Closed compounds are written as one word: notebook, sunflower, earthquake.
- Open compounds keep a space between the words: ice cream, bus stop, post office.
- Hyphenated compounds are joined with a hyphen: merry-go-round, mother-in-law, twenty-one.
Younger children only meet closed compounds. From about 3rd grade they learn that the other two exist, and a dictionary such as Merriam-Webster is the quickest way to check which one a word uses.
Compound words list for kids
Need examples for a lesson or a spelling list? Here are 60 compound words grouped by level, all used in the worksheets above.
Kindergarten to 1st grade
sunflower, rainbow, football, butterfly, cupcake, starfish, pancake, snowman, toothbrush, backpack, bedroom, raincoat, seashell, goldfish, ladybug, popcorn, airplane, watermelon, doorbell, mailbox
2nd to 3rd grade
birdhouse, firefly, sunshine, something, anywhere, grandfather, newspaper, weekend, bookshelf, bedtime, eyebrow, fingernail, pineapple, keyboard, skateboard, earthworm, grasshopper, scarecrow, lighthouse, shoelace
4th to 5th grade
earthquake, thunderstorm, waterfall, underground, headquarters, understand, throughout, lifeguard, wildlife, handwriting, eyewitness, blueprint, brainstorm, honeycomb, loudspeaker, bulldozer, breakthrough, landmark, wheelchair, countryside
Compound words by grade: what children learn
In the Common Core standards, 2nd graders use the meaning of the two smaller words to predict the meaning of a compound word (standard L.2.4d).
| Grade | What to practise | Best activity |
|---|---|---|
| Kindergarten | Hearing two words inside one (say “cup… cake” and clap twice) | Picture compound words |
| 1st grade (class 1) | Reading and writing short closed compounds | Word math |
| 2nd grade (class 2) | Splitting words to spell and read them | Split the word |
| 3rd grade (class 3) | Matching halves, meaning from the parts | Match the halves |
| 4th and 5th grade | Longer compounds, open and hyphenated forms | Closed, open or hyphenated? |
Six compound word activities
- Picture compound words: two pictures with their names, add them up and write the word. Ideal for kindergarten.
- Word math: rain + coat = raincoat.
- Split the word into its two smaller words.
- Find the compound word among look-alike words such as “window” or “basket”.
- Match the halves: each set is checked so only one pairing makes real words, so “sun” and “light” never appear on the same sheet as “moon” and “shine”.
- Closed, open or hyphenated? Circle the right spelling of words like ice cream and merry-go-round.
How to teach compound words
- Start with pictures. Show a sun and a flower, then a sunflower, and let children guess the new word.
- Clap the parts. Say a compound word slowly and clap once for each smaller word.
- Cut and rebuild. Write compound words on card, cut them in half and let children put them back together.
- Go on a word hunt. Look for compound words in a favourite picture book or around the classroom.
- Make silly compounds. Ask what a “cupfish” or a “rainshoe” would be, then check which ones are real.
Frequently asked questions
8 quick answers
Where can I find a compound words list for kids?
The compound words list on this page gathers common examples such as sunflower, rainbow and football. Our compound words worksheets use the same kind of everyday words, so practice and reference match.
Why use picture compound words?
Pictures let pre-readers solve sun + flower = sunflower before they can read every word. They are the gentlest way into compound words worksheets.
What grade learns compound words?
Children usually meet compound words in kindergarten and 1st grade through pictures and word math, practise splitting and spelling them in 2nd and 3rd grade, and learn open and hyphenated compounds in 3rd to 5th grade.
Is “basket” a compound word?
No. A compound word must be made of two real words that together make the new word. Basket + ball = basketball is a compound word, but basket on its own is not.
What are the 3 types of compound words?
Closed compounds are one word (sunflower), open compounds have a space (ice cream), and hyphenated compounds use a hyphen (merry-go-round).
What are some easy compound words for kids?
Easy compound words include rainbow, cupcake, football, snowman, starfish, pancake, toothbrush, ladybug and sunflower. See the full compound words list above for 60 examples by level.
Do the worksheets come with answers?
Yes. Every compound words worksheet PDF has an answer key page with the answers in red, and you can switch the key off in the generator.
Are the compound words worksheets free?
Yes. Print as many compound word sheets as you like at home or at school. There is nothing to sign up for and no watermark.