Portmanteau Words: When Two Words Become One

Have you ever said brunch instead of breakfast and lunch? Or talked about a smoggy day (a mix of smoke and fog)?If yes — congratulations! You’ve already used a portmanteau word.

🧳 What is a Portmanteau Word?

The word portmanteau originally meant a suitcase 🧳 that opens into two parts.The famous writer Lewis Carroll (author of Alice in Wonderland) borrowed this idea for language — when two words “pack together” into one.

A portmanteau combines both sound and meaning from two existing words to create a new one.For example:

• Smoke + Fog = Smog

• Breakfast + Lunch = Brunch

• Emotion + Icon = Emoji

So, a portmanteau word is like a linguistic suitcase — one word carrying two meanings!

🕰️ Portmanteau Words Through the Decades

Let’s look at how these creative blends have changed over time — from old classics to modern trends.

1900s–1930s: The Originals

• Motel = motor + hotel

  → Created when car travel became popular.

  
  

• Smog = smoke + fog

  → First used to describe London’s polluted air.

  
  

• Brunch = breakfast + lunch

  → A lazy Sunday favourite since the 1890s!

  
  

1950s–1970s: Pop Culture & Lifestyle

• Sitcom = situation + comedy

  → Classic TV shows like Friends or The Office.

  
  

• Docudrama = documentary + drama

  → A realistic movie based on true events.

  
  

• Spork = spoon + fork

  → The most efficient piece of cutlery ever made!

  
  

1980s–1990s: Tech & Media Boom

• Camcorder = camera + recorder

  → Everyone’s favourite gadget before smartphones.

  
  

• Infomercial = information + commercial

  → Those long, dramatic TV ads you couldn’t escape.

  
  

• Mockumentary = mock + documentary

  → A funny fake documentary, like The Office or Borat.

  
  

2000s: The Internet Age

• Blog = web + log

  → Where this very article lives!

  
  

• Podcast = iPod + broadcast

  → A whole new way of sharing stories and ideas.

  
  

• Netizen = internet + citizen

  → A person who lives online.

  
  

2010s–2020s: The Social Media Era

• Hangry = hungry + angry

  → When your mood depends on your next meal.

  
  

• Bromance = brother + romance

  → Deep friendship between two men.

  
  

• Glamping = glamorous + camping

  → Because we love nature — but with Wi-Fi and a hot shower.

  
  

• Finsta = fake + Instagram

  → A secret Instagram account for close friends.

  
  

• Vlog = video + blog

  → Modern storytelling in motion.

Portmanteau words show that language never stops evolving — it grows and blends just like culture does.So next time you say brunch, hangry, or podcast, remember:You’re carrying a little linguistic suitcase full of history and creativity.

✏️ Exercise: Playing with Portmanteaus

Part 1: Match the words

Match the two words that combine to make a portmanteau.Write the correct pair next to each one.

Portmanteau	Word 1	Word 2
1. Brunch	a. smoke	b. fog
2. Motel	c. breakfast	d. lunch
3. Smog	e. motor	f. hotel
4. Sitcom	g. situation	h. comedy
5. Blog	i. web	j. log

Part 2: Guess the Meaning

Look at these portmanteau words and guess what they mean.

1. Hangry = __________ + __________ → What kind of person is hangry?

2. Glamping = __________ + __________ → What kind of vacation is that?

3. Mockumentary = __________ + __________ → What kind of movie is that?

4. Spork = __________ + __________ → What is it used for?

5. Bromance = __________ + __________ → What kind of relationship is that?

Part 3: Create Your Own!

Be a word inventor 🧠Combine two of your favourite words and explain what your new word means.

✏️ Portmanteau Challenge: Can You Decode These Words?

Part 1: Guess the Two Words

Each of these modern English words is a portmanteau.Can you guess which two words were blended to create them — and what they mean?

#	Portmanteau	Word 1	Word 2	Meaning
1	Cosplay	__________	__________	________________
2	Frenemy	__________	__________	________________
3	Ginormous	__________	__________	________________
4	Workaholic	__________	__________	________________
5	Mocktail	__________	__________	________________
6	Spanglish	__________	__________	________________
7	Staycation	__________	__________	________________
8	Chillax	__________	__________	________________
9	Edutainment	__________	__________	________________
10	Shopaholic	__________	__________	________________

Part 2: Match & Define

Use these words to fill in the blanks above:

alcoholic • Spanish • friend • relax • gigantic • enormous • stay • vacation • costume • play • shop • education • entertainment • work • mock • cocktail • chill • English • enemy

✅ Answer Key

Portmanteau	Word 1	Word 2	Meaning
Cosplay	costume	play	dressing up as a fictional character
Frenemy	friend	enemy	a person who is both friend and rival
Ginormous	gigantic	enormous	extremely big
Workaholic	work	alcoholic	a person addicted to working
Mocktail	mock	cocktail	a non-alcoholic mixed drink
Spanglish	Spanish	English	a mix of the two languages
Staycation	stay	vacation	a holiday spent at home or nearby
Chillax	chill	relax	to rest and unwind
Edutainment	education	entertainment	learning that’s also fun
Shopaholic	shop	alcoholic	someone addicted to shopping

Part 3: Creative Task

Invent two new portmanteau words about your own life!Examples:

• Petflix = pet + Netflix → watching movies with your pet