Blending words in English

what are blend words?

Blending or blend words are one of the many ways to create a new word in English. A blend word is created by merging two existing words together to make a new word. They are very common in this day and age. Let’s take a look at some examples.

For example:

• breakfast + lunch = brunch (a meal eaten late morning instead of breakfast and lunch)
• electronic + mail = email (text communication over the internet)
• glamorous + camping = glamping (posh camping with home comforts)
• mock + cocktail = mocktail (a non- alcoholic cocktail)
• work + alcoholic = workaholic (a person who never stops working.

Have you heard of any of these before?

list of blending words in English

Here are some more examples for you to familiarise yourselves with plus an example in use.

• alcohol + pop = alcopop
  example – I don’t want to get wasted tonight, so I’m only taking a couple of alcopops (said no one ever!).
• bang + smash = bash
  example – Let`s go on the dodgems next, I want to bash the shit out of you.
• biography + picture = biopic
  example – There`s a biopic on telly tonight, I’m going to stay in and watch it.
• biology + electronic = bionic
  example – Have you seen the news? Doctors have made a bionic body for a guy who was in a car smash.
• Bombay + Hollywood = Bollywood
  example – My friend is a Bollywood star.
• booty + delicious = bootylicious
  example – My body`s so bootylicious baby.
• boxing + exercise = boxercise
  example – I`m not going to boxercise tonight, I can’t be bothered.
• breakfast + lunch = brunch
  We`re doing brunch later this week so I’ll ask her then.
• breath + analyser = breathalyser
  example – Make sure you don’t have more than one drink; the cops are patrolling with breathalysers.
• British + exit = Brexit
  example – Who in their right mind voted for Brexit?
• camera + recorder = camcorder
  example – I`m definitely taking the camcorder on my safari holiday.
• chuckle + snort = chortle
  example – That was so funny, I couldn’t help but chortle to myself.
• cybernetic + organism = cyborg
  example – You need to watch Terminator, it`s about a cyborg.
• documentary + shock = shockumentary
  example – I was gobsmacked watching a shockumentary about drugs and crime last night.
• electricity + execute = electrocute
  example – Don’t touch the socket with wet hands, you`ll electrocute yourself.
• electronic + mail = email
  example – I just need to check my emails, then I’ll be with you.
• emotion + icon = emoticon
  example – I taught my mum how to use emoticons, now she keeps bombarding me with them.
• fan + magazine = fanzine
  example – I`ve unsubscribed to the fanzine for the club, it`s shit.
• fantastic + fabulous = fantabulous
  example – Darling, fantabulous party last night. I can’t wait for the next one.
• Frankenstein + food = franken food
  example – I`m not eating any of that franken food, just organic fruit and veg for me.
• friend + enemy = frenemy
  example – She`s my frenemy. We put up with each other, but I secretly hate her guts.
• giant + enormous = ginormous
  example – I found a shop that sells ginormous pancakes with any topping you like!
• glamorous + camping = glamping
  example – We`ll be glamping this year, it rained so much last year all our stuff got destroyed.

• gleam + shimmer = glimmer
  example – Look at my new car glimmering in the sun.
• global + English = Globish
  example – My boss is sending me on a Globish course, so I can communicate better with our clients.
• guess + estimate = guesstimate
  example – I`d guestimate the price to be around $40 per unit.
• hotel + motor = motel
  example – There`s a nicer motel around the corner, let`s go there.
• huge + monstrous = humongous
  example – HELP! There`s a humongous spider on my bed.
• international + network = internet
  example – No internet for a week Timmy! If you can’t tidy your room, you can’t have internet.
• lion + tiger = liger
  example – Have you seen the cross between a lion and a tiger? It looks lush, it`s called a liger.
• malicious + software = malware
  example – You need better security on your tablet, there`s lots of malware flying around the net.
• mock + cocktail = mocktail
  example – Only mocktails for me tonight, I’m driving.
• motor + pedal = moped
  example – My son wants a moped, I said over my dead body.
• multiple + complex = multiplex
  example – A new multiplex cinema is being built soon.
• Oxford + Cambridge = Oxbridge
  example – I`m so clever, my teacher thinks I could go to Oxbridge.
• parachute + troops = paratrooper
  example – I`d love to be a paratrooper.
• romantic + comedy = romcom
  example – I`m going to make my boyfriend watch a romcom tonight, he secretly loves them.
• sex + texting = sexting
  example – I caught my boyfriend sexting his ex. I
• slang + language = slanguage
  example – Please don’t use slanguage around the boss.
• smoke and fog = smog
  example – The smog is so bad in Beijing, people have to wear masks.
• Spanish + English = Spanglish
  example –  Just speak Spanglish, then we can all understand.
• spoon + fork = spork
  example – Have you seen a spork? It’s great for travelling.
• sports + broadcast = sportscast
  example – I love the Olympics, sportscasts all day!
• squirm + wiggle = squiggle
  example – Look at that little fish squiggling around in its tank.
• stay + vacation = staycation
  example – We can`t afford to go anywhere this year, so we`re having a staycation instead.
• telephone + marathon = telethon
  example –  I`ll call you later for a catch up, we can have a telethon.
• video + log = vlog
  example – I need to update my vlog, my parents love seeing what I’ve been up to.
• web + log = blog
  example – I write a blog for a magazine.
• web + seminar = webinar
  example – We`ve got a webinar at 9am sharp.
• work + alcoholic = workaholic
  example – You need to slow down, you`re a workaholic, you`ll end up killing yourself one day.

blend words in use

I’ve made a few stories containing blend words. See if you can understand them.