Fun with Portmanteaus

Have you ever been hangry, used a spork, or ridden a moped?

Read on to discover more about portmanteaus and how to introduce these fun words to kids. And be sure to check out the fun printable game at the end of this post!

What in the World Is a Portmanteau?

I’m glad you asked!

A portmanteau (pôrt-mănʹ-tō) is a word that is created when the sounds and meanings of two different words are blended into one. For example, spork comes from a mash-up of spoon and fork. The word portmanteau itself comes from the French words for porter (which means to carry) and manteau, which means mantle, or coat. For a quick demonstration, watch the video below. (Our video team got a bit creative with this one!)

Here are a few more examples of portmanteaus:

Play with Portmanteaus

Portmanteaus are “made-up” words that have worked their way into our everyday language and that concept is pretty funny to children! When I talked about portmanteaus with my children when they were young, my daughter came up with sweems (sweet dreams) right on the spot, giggling at the idea.

Would you like to have fun playing with portmanteaus and build your child’s vocabulary all at the same time? Download our “Bingo Smash-Up!” game to play with your children!

How about you? Can you think of a portmanteau word? Please share in the comments below!