Compound words with LINE

LINE is a one-sided word. It finishes 9 compounds in this list and heads none of them, so it can end a chain but never sit in the middle of one.

Words that go in front of LINE

Each of these makes a compound ending in LINE.

• bloodline — blood + line
• headline — head + line
• landline — land + line
• lifeline — life + line
• offline — off + line
• outline — out + line
• pipeline — pipe + line
• shoreline — shore + line
• sideline — side + line

Why LINE joins the way it does

LINE never leads in this list, and it is the closest thing English has to a general-purpose metaphor. A physical line becomes descent in BLOODLINE, a summary in HEADLINE and OUTLINE, a route in PIPELINE and SHORELINE, and a state of connection in OFFLINE.

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 54.

AWAY · BACK · BALL · BED · BLACK · BOARD · BOOK · BOY · BREAK · CHECK · DAY · DOOR · DOWN · FALL · FATHER · FIRE · GROUND · GUN · HAND · HEAD · HOOD · HOUSE · LAND · LESS · LIFE · LIGHT · LOAD · MAN · MOTHER · NIGHT · OFF · OUT · OVER · PAY · POINT · POST · POWER · ROOM · RUN · SHIP · SIDE · SOME · STEP · SUN · TAKE · TIME · TURN · UNDER · WALK · WATER · WAY · WOOD · WORK