Word parts
Word parts and what they mean
Prefixes, suffixes and roots for readers past basic phonics, from grade 3 up and for older readers who still find long words hard. Each part has a short meaning and words built from it as word sums.
In short
Teach a part, then build words with it and take them apart: re + port + er → reporter. When a spelling changes as parts join, say so: hope + ing → hoping drops the e.
Original word lists and meanings written by Literacy Trail.
English spelling has three layers. Teach them in this order, and show every word as a sum of its parts: re + port + er → reporter.
- 1. Anglo-Saxon
- Short everyday words, compounds and the most common prefixes and suffixes.
- 2. Latin
- Prefixes, suffixes and roots behind many school and book words.
- 3. Greek
- Combining forms behind science words, with spellings like ph and ch.
75 word parts in 3 layers
Anglo-Saxon
Short everyday words, compounds and the most common prefixes and suffixes.
Suffixes
- -smore than one; or what one person or thing does now
- -edit already happened
- -inggoing on, or happening now
- -ermore (when you compare two)
- -estthe most (when you compare three or more)
- -era person or thing that does something
- -fulfull of
- -lesswithout
- -nessthe state of being
- -lyin a certain way
- -yfull of, or like
- -isha bit, or like
Latin
Prefixes, suffixes and roots behind many school and book words.
Prefixes
Roots
Suffixes
- -mentthe act or result of
- -ablecan be, or able to be
- -ousfull of, or having
- -alhaving to do with
- -ivetending to, or having the quality of
- -itythe state or quality of
- -tionthe act of, or the result of
- -ancethe act of, or the state of
- -anta person who does something, or doing
- -ora person or thing that does something
Greek
Combining forms behind science words, with spellings like ph and ch.
Combining forms
Word parts lessons, ready to teach
In Literacy Trail, each word parts lesson has words to read, build, split and spell, with full-screen players for the student. Every plan starts with a 15-day free trial.