Compound words with SIDE

SIDE is a hinge word: 12 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 SIDE

Each of these makes a compound ending in SIDE.

• backside — back + side
• bedside — bed + side
• downside — down + side
• fireside — fire + side
• hillside — hill + side
• offside — off + side
• outside — out + side
• ringside — ring + side
• riverside — river + side
• seaside — sea + side
• topside — top + side
• wayside — way + side

Words that follow SIDE

Each of these makes a compound starting with SIDE.

• sidearm — side + arm
• sideboard — side + board
• sidekick — side + kick
• sideline — side + line
• sidewalk — side + walk

Why SIDE joins on both sides

SIDE is pure position, so it will attach to almost any place word. ROADSIDE, BEDSIDE and SEASIDE run one way; SIDEWALK, SIDEKICK and SIDESHOW run the other.

Bridges you can build through SIDE

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.

• BACK → SIDE → ARM — backside and sidearm
• BED → SIDE → BOARD — bedside and sideboard
• DOWN → SIDE → KICK — downside and sidekick
• FIRE → SIDE → LINE — fireside and sideline
• HILL → SIDE → WALK — hillside and sidewalk

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 · SHIP · SOME · TIME · WAY · WORK