Kangaroo Words

Who would have thought that there is such a thing as a kangaroo word? And yet we have such words, aptly named, in our vernacular.

A kangaroo word is a word within a word (noun, verb, adjective, or adverb) that proves to be a synonym of the word in which it is found.

Like the pouch of the kangaroo that holds a smaller version of itself inside, so are these kangaroo words.

Within the word chocolate, for example, we find the word cocoa.

Inside the word astound is the word stun.

Round can be found inside the adjective rotund.

And here are a few more:

Blossom – bloom.

Masculine – male.

Regulate – rule.

Instructor – tutor.

Observe – see.

Destruction – ruin.

Precipitation – rain.

Community – city.

Catacomb – tomb.

You will notice that the letters correspond in an orderly fashion inside the larger word, the letters are not mixed up.

It’s amazing what patterns language demonstrates, and we use them without realizing what they are.

There are more kangaroo words than the examples above. See how many you can find.

Pass the words!