Compound words with BACK

BACK is a hinge word: 11 words make a compound in front of it and 13 make one after it, so it can sit in the middle of a chain and hold two compounds together at once.

Words that go in front of BACK

Each of these makes a compound ending in BACK.

Words that follow BACK

Each of these makes a compound starting with BACK.

Why BACK joins on both sides

BACK is both a body part and a direction, which is why it hinges so freely. As a noun it takes modifiers in front (HORSEBACK, PAPERBACK); as a directional particle it attaches to verbs behind (BACKFIRE, BACKLASH).

Bridges you can build through BACK

Put any word from the first list in front and any word from the second behind, and you have a three-word chain in which both neighbouring pairs join. Here are some of them.

Play a bridge

KEYSTONE is a free daily puzzle built entirely out of chains like these. You get the two ends and have to fill the two words in the middle. Three bridges a day, no account, no cookies.

Play today's KEYSTONE

Other hinge words

Each of these has a page like this one. There is also an index of all 28.

BALL · BED · BOARD · BOOK · BREAK · DAY · DOWN · FALL · FIRE · GUN · HAND · HEAD · HOUSE · LAND · LIFE · LIGHT · MAN · NIGHT · OFF · OUT · OVER · SHIP · SIDE · SOME · TIME · WAY · WORK