Compound word puzzle maker

Two small words join to make a longer one

Make compound word puzzles. Each card holds two short words a beginner can sound out, with a dashed cut between them: sun and set, bath and tub. Your child cuts the pieces apart, mixes them, joins two that fit and reads the longer word. Each cut has its own shape.

Pick a design

Now: . Hundreds of designs to choose from.

Choose each part yourself

To keep a copy, choose “Save as PDF” as the printer. What you type stays on your device: it is not sent to us and not saved.

Your worksheet:

Watch: how the free worksheet makers workA two-minute lesson. Every maker works the same way.

How to make your worksheet

  1. Keep the ready words, or type your own with a - between the two parts.
  2. Choose how many pages.
  3. Print on card stock and cut out the pieces.
  4. Your child joins two pieces and reads the new word.

The reading skill

Reading a long word as two short ones is the first step to reading words of more than one part. Every half here is a checked short word.

It checks itself

Six cut shapes are used on a page, so the wrong halves do not fit together.

Talk about the meaning

Ask what each small word means, then what the long word means.

Good questions

Which words are in the ready list?

Twenty-two, such as sunset, bathtub, cobweb, backpack, pigpen, sandbox and catfish.

Can I add contractions?

This maker joins two whole words. Type your own pairs with a - between them.

Is there an answer key?

Yes. Leave “Answer key page” turned on and the key prints as the last page.

Can I get a different page each time?

Yes. Press “New version: mix it again” and the maker picks again.

Is it free?

Yes, with no sign-up and no limit.

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