Even though English is considered one of the easiest languages in the world, non-native speakers often find it difficult to learn. One of the major parts they struggle with is learning the rules of the language. The English language has lots of rules with an equal number of exceptions. So even after learning the rules, one may face difficulties to be fluent. Learning vocabulary root eases the process in many ways.

Another confusing part of the English language is the variations in the pronunciation of the same word group. For example, ‘o-u-g-h’ can be pronounced in more than 4 ways. Consider the words ‘Though’, ‘Through’, ‘Enough’, ‘Thought’, and ‘Hough’. For each word, ‘o-u-g-h’ is pronounced differently. Learning spelling in this case won’t help much with pronunciation. Luckily, learning vocabulary roots can help us.

In this article, we will learn about vocabulary roots. We will discuss their functions and contribution to language learning.

So, let’s get started!

What Is Vocabulary Root?

In simple words, vocabulary root, or word root, is the basic word with which affixes (prefixes and suffixes) and/ or other root words are added to make new words. They are the base of a word and usually cannot stand alone on their own. Words can be made by adding affixes simultaneously, such as ‘Unfaithful’, ‘Retransformation’, ‘Reincarnation’, ‘Unconscious’ etc.

Sometimes root words can be confusing if not learned properly. Consider the root word ‘Bi’. It means two or twice. Now let’s see what words we can make with it. By adding ‘-cycle’, we get ‘Bicycle’ which is a vehicle that runs on two wheels. If we add ‘-lingual’, then we get ‘Bilingual’ which refers to a person who can speak in two languages.

But this logic doesn’t work for ‘Biology’ or ‘Biodiversity’. Here, the root word is ‘Bio’ which means life.

These examples also indicate the necessity of learning vocabulary root words to distinguish between two roots. If we don’t know the difference between ‘Bi’ and ‘Bio’, words made with them can be confusing to understand.

Vocabulary Root Words Origin

An interesting fact about vocabulary root words is that most of the root words in English originated from Latin or Greek language. Obviously, modern English languages have root words originating from other languages but these two still have the crown.

By learning Greek and Latin root words, a student can easily learn around 60% of English vocabulary. If you are particularly interested in technological terms, then 90% of the vocabulary can be learned from learning these two roots. An enormous number of words came from French roots also. Though there is no exact value, according to various sources, words with French roots make up 10%-40% of the English vocabulary.

Why Is Learning Vocabulary Root Words Important?

Some of the benefits of learning root words are already mentioned above. Here are some more for better understanding:

Additional Information

Vocabulary root provides information about the evolution of the language, its relation to other languages, and even historical influences. If you are studying a language, root words can indicate some major historical event that caused a change in the language or gave rise to a new trend. They are not only helpful for language learning, but also for learning the history and culture of a nation.

Better Understanding

Root words cannot be further divided and are considered the most meaningful part of the word. So, if you have good knowledge of root words, you can predict the meaning of an unseen word quite accurately.

For example, you know the word ‘Friend’. Now, what about the words such as ‘Friendly’, ‘Befriend’, ‘Friendliness’, ‘Unfriendly’? Even if you don’t know the exact meaning, you can predict that all these words are somehow connected to ‘Friend’. Now let’s dig a little deeper.

‘Un-’ means something negative. So, that means ‘Unfriendly’ must mean ‘Not friendly’. What does ‘Friendly’ means then? ‘Friend-like’? Yes! It means a person who is pleasant like a friend.

Ease In Learning

From the example, you can understand how learning one vocabulary root can help you acquire so many words. But there is another advantage.

When you are making word lists, you can categorize them according to their roots. You can list out root words with similar meanings such as ‘dys’ (meaning: Hard, bad) and ‘mal’ (meaning: Bad, Evil). Or you can sort them out according to their origins (Greek, Latin, French, etc.). This way, memorizing words would be easier for you.

Root Word Examples

In this section, common vocabulary root words are listed. They are sorted according to their origin. You can use these root words for kids and adult learning. There are two examples for each root word along with its meaning. For more related words, search on the internet or check SpellQuiz Printable Word lists. The lists are divided into grades and there are multiple lists for each grade along with a separate set of word lists for the Spelling Bee Competition.

Vocabulary Root Words Originated From The Greek Language

Root Word	Meaning	Example
Anthro	Human	Anthropology, Philanthropy
Auto	Self	Automatic, Automobile
Bio	Life	Biology, Biomedical
Chron	Time	Chronology, Chronic
Dyna	Power	Dynamite, Dynasty
Dys	Bad, hard	Dyspepsia, Dysfunction
Gram	Written	Telegram, Anagram
Graph	Writing	Cryptography, Telegraph
Hetero	Different	Heterogeneous, Heterotrophic
Homo	Same	Homophone, Homonym
Hydr	Water	Hydrogen, Hydraulic
Hypo	Below	Hypothesis, Hypotenuse
Logy	Study of	Biology, Zoology
Meter	Measurement	Thermometer, Barometer
Micro	Small	Microscope, Microchip
Miso	Hate	Misogyny, Misogamy
Mono	One, single	Monotonous, Monochrome
Morph	Form	Morph (stand-alone root word), Morphology
Nym	Name	Synonym, Acronym
Phobia	Fear	Germaphobia, Technophobia
Phon	Sound	Phonograph, Symphony
Photo	Light	Photograph, Photosynthesis
Pseudo	False	Pseudonym, Pseudopodia
Psycho	Soul	Psychology, Psychic
Scope	An instrument used for viewing	Telescope, Stethoscope
Techno	Skill, science	Technology, Technique
Tele	Far	Telephone, Telegraph
Therm	Heat	Thermal, Thermophiles

 

Vocabulary Root Words Originated From The Latin Language

Root Word	Meaning	Example
Ambi	Both	Ambiguity, Ambience
Aqua	Water	Aquatic, Aquarium
Aud	Hearing	Audio, Audience
Bene	Good	Benefit, Beneficiary
Cent	Hundred	Percent, Centipede
Circum	Around	Circumference, Circumvent
Counter	Against	Counterattack, Encounter
Dict	Saying	Dictionary, Dictation
Duc	Leading	Conducting, Abduct
Fac	Making	Manufacture, Faculty
Form	Shape	Format, Formation
Fort	Strength	Fortress, Forte
Fract	Breaking	Fraction, fragile
Ject	Throw	Inject, Rejection
Jud	Judge	Judge, Judiciary
Mal	Bad, Evil	Malfunction, Maltreatment
Mater	Mother	Maternity, Maternal
Mort	Death	Mortal, Mortified
Multi	Many	Multimedia, multiple
Pater	Father	Patriarchy, Paternal
Port	Carry	Portable, Deport
Rupt	Break	Eruption, Bankruptcy
Scrib	Write	Scribble, Describe
Sect	Cut	Section, Sector
Sent	Send	Assent, Consent
Spect	Look	Spectacular, Suspect
Struct	Build	Construction, Structure
Vid	See	Video, Visual
Voc	Voice	Vocal, Vocabulary

 

Commonly Used English Words Originated From The French Language

Word	Meaning in English
Au pair	Nanny/ babysitter
Bizarre	Weird, strange
Bon Appetit	Enjoy the meal
Bon Voyage	Happy journey
Bouquet	Arrangement of flowers
Boutique	Clothing shop
Bureau	Government Office
Café	Coffee shop
Chic	Stylish
Cliché	Stereotype
Courage	Bravery
Couture	High fashion
Debut	First performance in front of an audience
Déjà vu	Feeling like the same incident happened before
Entrepreneur	A person starting their own business
Faux	False
Fiancé	A person engaged for marriage
Genre	Category, type
Petite	Small
Queue	Waiting line
Sauté	Frying with oil
Souvenir	Keepsake
Terrace	Balcony
Touché	Point taken

Implementing Vocabulary Root Learning In Language Learning

Now that you understand the importance of root word learning, start implementing it in your regular learning sessions. There are books available on English root words. But you can also search them up online.

Try to predict the meaning of new words using your knowledge. After that, find the accurate definition in the dictionary.

Evaluating your skill constantly through tests is an efficient way to monitor your progress. You can assess how many words have you covered by vocabulary root word learning. SpellQuiz is your best choice for this.

Using Spelling Test Help With Learning Vocabulary Roots

SpellQuiz Vocabulary Test estimates your vocabulary range and assigns a level to your skill so that you can get a heads up about where to start from. SpellQuiz Spelling Test is divided into grades and is best for the regular test. Also, both tests use audio clips recorded with professional voice artists. The clip contains a sentence the participant needs to listen to and write with accurate spelling.

How do these tests help with root word learning evaluation? Simple. When you are listening to the clip, you can understand the root word from the pronunciation and spell the word correctly. SpellQuiz uses American English only to avoid confusion and professional voice artists make sure that the participants face no difficulty with understanding the word because of accent.

Most of the programs set a goal for you and require you to reach it within the given time. It can be stressful for many as everyone has a different pace to advance to the next level. SpellQuiz takes into consideration of individuality which is why SpellQuiz Adaptive Spelling Test lets students advance at their own pace. It lets everyone take their time and enjoy learning instead of being pressurized.

Let's Introduce Some Fun!

Are you competitive? Do you require a sense of achievement occasionally to keep your motivation strong? If so, then SpellQuiz Spelling Bee Online can be your motivation to put more effort into vocabulary root learning. This is a spelling bee competition held online where students around the world compete against each other. There are also scoreboards for top spellers of the day, week, month, and all-time. It gives you a chance to show your potential to the whole world.

But if you are hesitating before entering the main test, you can practice with SpellQuiz Practice Test as much as you want. It introduces you to the online environment and lets you have time to adjust. After you are confident enough, take the main tests and show off your skill.

Happy learning!