Word facts for kids

A word is a sound or a group of sounds that has a meaning. When we write, a word is a collection of letters that work together to share an idea. Most words can be spoken aloud. Sometimes, a single symbol, called a logogram, can also be a word.

Words help us share our thoughts and feelings. They are the building blocks of sentences and stories.

Words with Different Meanings or Sounds

Some words look or sound the same but have different meanings. For example, the word "spring" can mean the season, a bouncy toy, or the action of jumping. These words are called homonyms.

Sometimes, words are spelled the same but are pronounced differently, and they have different meanings. Think of "wind" (the air moving) and "wind" (to turn a clock).

Spelling and How Words Are Formed

Words can be spelled differently but still be correct. For example, "color" (used in American English) and "colour" (used in British English) mean the same thing.

Some words in English are very short, like "a" or "I." Every language has its own words. In languages that use an alphabet, words are usually separated by a space. In languages that use ideograms (symbols representing ideas), each symbol is often a whole word.

New Words and Compound Words

People can invent new words! This is called a neologism. For example, the word "radar" started as an acronym (a word made from the first letters of other words) but became a common word.

Sometimes, two words can join together to make a new one. This is called a compound word. For instance, "sun" and "flower" combine to make "sunflower."

What a Word Is Not

A word is the smallest part of speech that can stand alone and make sense. For example, "hello" is a word because it has meaning by itself.

This is different from a morpheme. A morpheme is the smallest unit of meaning, but it might not be able to stand alone as a word. For example, in the word "running," "run" is a word and a morpheme, but "-ing" is only a morpheme. It adds meaning (that something is happening now) but can't be a word by itself.

You can find the meaning of almost any word in a dictionary.

Images for kids

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  Letters and words

See also

In Spanish: Palabra para niños