Basic Details
Word: Compound
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: A substance made of two or more elements joined chemically; a word made of two words; or an enclosed area of land round a building. As a verb, it means to make something worse.
Synonyms: combination, enclosure, yard, worsen
Antonyms: ease, lessen
How to Spell Compound
Syllables: com - pound
Tricky part: The second part is spelt pound, with ou. Students sometimes write compund or compownd.
Watch out for: compund, compownd, compaund
Memory tip: Com + pound: a pound of mixed things makes a compound.
Usage Examples
Example 1: Carbon dioxide is a compound of carbon and oxygen.
Example 2: Sunflower and toothbrush are compound words.
Example 3: The old factory compound is surrounded by a high wall.
Fun Fact
Compound in the sense of a walled yard probably comes from the Malay word kampung, a village or enclosure, picked up by European traders in Asia.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Connection
Choose the word closest in meaning to compound as used in the sentence:
Arguing with the umpire will only compound the team's problems.
a) ease
b) worsen
c) forget
d) solve
Show answer
b) worsen. To compound a problem is to make it worse; ease and solve do the opposite.
Mingle-Mangle
Unjumble the word in the sentence and choose it:
The stray dog slipped through the gate into the school ondpocum.
a) component
b) compost
c) confound
d) compound
Show answer
d) compound. Component and compost need letters that are not here, and confound has an f; a school compound is its walled ground.
Word Cookie
Find the misspelt word in the sentence:
Behind the old haveli there was a large compund where the children played gilli-danda every evening while their grandparents sat on charpoys and chatted.
a) compund
b) children
c) grandparents
d) evening
Show answer
a) compund. The second half is the word pound, so it needs ou.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which of these is a compound rather than an element?
a) iron
b) gold
c) water
d) oxygen
Show answer
c) water
2. Compound interest is interest paid on ____.
a) a loan that is never repaid
b) coins kept at home
c) both the money saved and the interest already added
d) the money saved only
Show answer
c) both the money saved and the interest already added
