Practical Sales Training™ > Wordplay > Kangaroo Words
What is it?
Kangaroo words are words that secretly carry a smaller word inside them that means almost the same thing.
For example:
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masculine contains male
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chicken contains hen
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resign contains sign
In wordplay for sales, you highlight the “hidden” word so people see two meanings at once. It’s a subtle visual trick that makes the word – and your message – more memorable.
How does it work?
Kangaroo words work because:
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Our brains love patterns
When people spot the hidden word, they feel a tiny “aha” moment. That makes your message more engaging and more likely to stick. -
You get two meanings for the price of one
The big word carries your main meaning. The hidden word can hint at a benefit, emotion or result you want people to notice. -
You can style it visually
By changing case, colour or weight on the inner word, you can guide attention without adding more copy.
Example:
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MAscuLinE (with MALE picked out in caps or colour)
One word, two layers: “masculine” as the main idea, “male” as the emphasis.
How can you use it?
Use kangaroo words anywhere you want a small jolt of interest without adding more text.
1. Headlines and taglines
Pick a word that already sits in your message and reveal the “joey” inside:
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Fitness brand: trAIning → highlight AI for tech-led training
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Money product: cAsIno → highlight AS IN “as in more rewards” (or similar play)
2. Product names and sub-brands
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Build names where the inner word reinforces the benefit, then style it:
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pROFit (ROF / OFI not quite, but you get the idea for your designers)
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cAREful (ARE)
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Even if it’s not a “pure” kangaroo word in the strict linguistic sense, you can still use the visual idea of highlighting letters inside a word to hint at meaning.
3. Visual hooks in graphics and slides
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Take a key word in your slide title and:
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Capitalise the inner word
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Change the colour of those letters
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Bold just the inner word’s letters
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This works well for:
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Social posts and carousels
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Website hero images
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Deck titles and section dividers
4. Hidden “easter eggs” in branding
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Use kangaroo words as a quiet in-joke for your best clients or your audience:
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A slide series where every title hides a relevant inner word
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A campaign where the hidden word always points to the core benefit
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People who notice feel clever. People who don’t still get a clear, simple message. Either way, your wordplay does its job without getting in the way of the sale.
