Compound words with HEAD

HEAD is a hinge word: 4 words make a compound in front of it and 9 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 HEAD

Each of these makes a compound ending in HEAD.

• hothead — hot + head
• overhead — over + head
• redhead — red + head
• warhead — war + head

Words that follow HEAD

Each of these makes a compound starting with HEAD.

• headband — head + band
• headless — head + less
• headlight — head + light
• headline — head + line
• headlong — head + long
• headman — head + man
• headmaster — head + master
• headstrong — head + strong
• headway — head + way

Why HEAD joins on both sides

HEAD is a body part that also means front, top or leader. FOREHEAD and OVERHEAD are positional; HEADLINE and HEADMASTER use the top-or-leader sense.

Bridges you can build through HEAD

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.

• HOT → HEAD → BAND — hothead and headband
• OVER → HEAD → LESS — overhead and headless
• RED → HEAD → LIGHT — redhead and headlight
• WAR → HEAD → LINE — warhead and headline

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.

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