Compound words with TIME

TIME is a hinge word: 11 words make a compound in front of it and 3 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 TIME

Each of these makes a compound ending in TIME.

• anytime — any + time
• bedtime — bed + time
• daytime — day + time
• downtime — down + time
• lifetime — life + time
• longtime — long + time
• nighttime — night + time
• overtime — over + time
• sometime — some + time
• springtime — spring + time
• wartime — war + time

Words that follow TIME

Each of these makes a compound starting with TIME.

• timeless — time + less
• timeout — time + out
• timetable — time + table

Why TIME joins on both sides

TIME is a noun and a verb and one of the most compoundable words in the language. DAYTIME, LIFETIME and OVERTIME go one way; TIMETABLE, TIMELESS and TIMELINE go the other.

Bridges you can build through TIME

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.

• ANY → TIME → LESS — anytime and timeless
• BED → TIME → OUT — bedtime and timeout
• DAY → TIME → TABLE — daytime and timetable

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 · SIDE · SOME · WAY · WORK