Compound words with SHIP

SHIP is a hinge word: 6 words make a compound in front of it and 2 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 SHIP

Each of these makes a compound ending in SHIP.

• friendship — friend + ship
• ladyship — lady + ship
• leadership — leader + ship
• lordship — lord + ship
• ownership — owner + ship
• warship — war + ship

Words that follow SHIP

Each of these makes a compound starting with SHIP.

• shipwreck — ship + wreck
• shipyard — ship + yard

Why SHIP joins on both sides

SHIP is really two words that happen to be spelled alike: the vessel (SPACESHIP, SHIPYARD, SHIPWRECK) and the abstract ending -ship (FRIENDSHIP, HARDSHIP). A compound chain does not care which one you mean.

Bridges you can build through SHIP

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.

• FRIEND → SHIP → WRECK — friendship and shipwreck
• LADY → SHIP → YARD — ladyship and shipyard

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 · HEAD · HOUSE · LAND · LIFE · LIGHT · MAN · NIGHT · OFF · OUT · OVER · SIDE · SOME · TIME · WAY · WORK