Compound words with MAN

MAN is a hinge word: 33 words make a compound in front of it and 5 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 MAN

Each of these makes a compound ending in MAN.

• bagman — bag + man
• boatman — boat + man
• bowman — bow + man
• businessman — business + man
• cameraman — camera + man
• caveman — cave + man
• chairman — chair + man
• councilman — council + man
• doorman — door + man
• everyman — every + man
• fireman — fire + man
• footman — foot + man
• freeman — free + man
• frenchman — french + man
• freshman — fresh + man
• gunman — gun + man
• hangman — hang + man
• headman — head + man
• houseman — house + man
• lawman — law + man
• layman — lay + man
• lineman — line + man
• madman — mad + man
• mailman — mail + man
• middleman — middle + man
• milkman — milk + man
• postman — post + man
• strongman — strong + man
• watchman — watch + man
• waterman — water + man
• woodman — wood + man
• woodsman — woods + man
• workman — work + man

Words that follow MAN

Each of these makes a compound starting with MAN.

• manhole — man + hole
• manhood — man + hood
• manhunt — man + hunt
• mankind — man + kind
• manpower — man + power

Why MAN joins on both sides

MAN is the busiest hinge in this set, mostly as an agent ending: POSTMAN, FIREMAN, CHAIRMAN. Running the other way it is much rarer, which is why MANPOWER, MANHUNT and MANHOLE feel like a short list.

Bridges you can build through MAN

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.

• BAG → MAN → HOLE — bagman and manhole
• BOAT → MAN → HOOD — boatman and manhood
• BOW → MAN → HUNT — bowman and manhunt
• BUSINESS → MAN → KIND — businessman and mankind
• CAMERA → MAN → POWER — cameraman and manpower

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 60.

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