11+ Verbal Reasoning

Hidden & Compound Words

16 free practice questions with explanations

PassNova has 16 free 11+ Verbal Reasoning practice questions on Hidden & Compound Words, each with a clear explanation. Practise them in the browser with instant feedback — 100% free, no sign-up, on any device. Updated for 2026.

Sample questions

Hidden & Compound Words: example questions & answers

16 worked examples with answers and explanations below. Practise them in the browser with instant feedback on every answer.

  1. A four-letter word is hidden at the end of the first word and start of the second: 'breaD OWNer'. What is it?

    • AREAD
    • BOWNE
    • CBREW
    • DDOWN

    Answer: The letters D-O-W-N run across 'breaD OWNer' to spell DOWN.

  2. Which pair of words makes a compound word? Choose the correct join.

    • ARAIN + DOG = RAINDOG
    • BRAIN + CAT = RAINCAT
    • CRAIN + BOW = RAINBOW
    • DRAIN + RUN = RAINRUN

    Answer: RAIN + BOW makes the real compound word RAINBOW.

  3. Which word can follow BUTTER to make a real word?

    • ARUN
    • BJUMP
    • CFLY
    • DSING

    Answer: BUTTER + FLY makes BUTTERFLY.

  4. Which word can go in front of BALL to make a compound word?

    • AFOOT
    • BTREE
    • CDESK
    • DCLOUD

    Answer: FOOTBALL is a real compound word. TREEBALL, DESKBALL and CLOUDBALL are not words, so only one option works.

  5. A word is hidden across two neighbouring words in this sentence. Which is it? 'The rich indeed shared it.'

    • ACHIN
    • BNIHC
    • CCHIO
    • DHINC

    Answer: Run the words together and the letters appear in order: THE RICH INDEED SHARED IT. The hidden word is CHIN, made from the end of one word and the start of the next.

  6. A word is hidden across two neighbouring words in this sentence. Which is it? 'A cold rain fell today.'

    • ANIARD
    • BDRAIO
    • CDRAIN
    • DRAIND

    Answer: Run the words together and the letters appear in order: A COLD RAIN FELL TODAY. The hidden word is DRAIN, made from the end of one word and the start of the next.

  7. A word is hidden across two neighbouring words in this sentence. Which is it? 'He was late arriving home.'

    • ARAET
    • BTEAS
    • CEART
    • DTEAR

    Answer: Run the words together and the letters appear in order: HE WAS LATE ARRIVING HOME. The hidden word is TEAR, made from the end of one word and the start of the next.

  8. A word is hidden across two neighbouring words in this sentence. Which is it? 'The crab bit her finger.'

    • ATIBBA
    • BABBIU
    • CABBIT
    • DBBITA

    Answer: Run the words together and the letters appear in order: THE CRAB BIT HER FINGER. The hidden word is ABBIT, made from the end of one word and the start of the next.

  9. A word is hidden across two neighbouring words in this sentence. Which is it? 'Our team met on Sunday.'

    • AAMMET
    • BTEMMA
    • CAMMEU
    • DMMETA

    Answer: Run the words together and the letters appear in order: OUR TEAM MET ON SUNDAY. The hidden word is AMMET, made from the end of one word and the start of the next.

  10. A word is hidden across two neighbouring words in this sentence. Which is it? 'She won a gold medal.'

    • AEMD
    • BDMF
    • CDME
    • DMED

    Answer: Run the words together and the letters appear in order: SHE WON A GOLD MEDAL. The hidden word is DME, made from the end of one word and the start of the next.

  11. A word is hidden across two neighbouring words in this sentence. Which is it? 'We saw a tall arch there.'

    • AHCRALL
    • BLLARCI
    • CLARCHL
    • DLLARCH

    Answer: Run the words together and the letters appear in order: WE SAW A TALL ARCH THERE. The hidden word is LLARCH, made from the end of one word and the start of the next.

  12. A word is hidden across two neighbouring words in this sentence. Which is it? 'The cat sat on a mat.'

    • AAST
    • BTSB
    • CSAT
    • DTSA

    Answer: Run the words together and the letters appear in order: THE CAT SAT ON A MAT. The hidden word is TSA, made from the end of one word and the start of the next.

  13. A word is hidden across two neighbouring words in this sentence. Which is it? 'He put the map on top.'

    • ANOP
    • BPOO
    • CPON
    • DONP

    Answer: Run the words together and the letters appear in order: HE PUT THE MAP ON TOP. The hidden word is PON, made from the end of one word and the start of the next.

  14. A word is hidden across two neighbouring words in this sentence. Which is it? 'A tiny ant hill grew.'

    • AHTN
    • BNTI
    • CNTH
    • DTHN

    Answer: Run the words together and the letters appear in order: A TINY ANT HILL GREW. The hidden word is NTH, made from the end of one word and the start of the next.

  15. A word is hidden across two neighbouring words in this sentence. Which is it? 'She read a short story.'

    • ASTR
    • BRTT
    • CRTS
    • DTSR

    Answer: Run the words together and the letters appear in order: SHE READ A SHORT STORY. The hidden word is RTS, made from the end of one word and the start of the next.

  16. A word is hidden across two neighbouring words in this sentence. Which is it? 'The bus stop was near.'

    • ASST
    • BTSS
    • CSSU
    • DSTS

    Answer: Run the words together and the letters appear in order: THE BUS STOP WAS NEAR. The hidden word is SST, made from the end of one word and the start of the next.

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