Word part · Latin root
Sign root words: meaning and 16 examples
In short
The Latin root sign (from Latin) means "mark". Words with it include signature, signal, signals, signatures, design and designs. Sign is also a whole word, so students can check the meaning directly.
- Part
- sign
- Meaning
- mark
- Origin
- Latin
- Words listed
- 16
Sign is also a whole word, so students can check the meaning directly. The g is silent in sign and design but you hear it in signal and signature, which is a good reason to teach them together.
Words with the Latin root sign
The list runs from shorter, common words to longer ones. The bands are a rough guide built from syllable count and how common each word is in our word list, not a grade-level standard. Read each word, then its word sum.
Colors:prefixroot or basesuffix
Start here: short, common words (about grades 3 and 4)
| Word | Word sum | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| signal | sign (root or base)+al (suffix)→signal | a mark, light or sound that tells you something |
| signals | sign (root or base)+al (suffix)+s (suffix)→signals | more than one signal |
| design | de (prefix)+sign (root or base)→design | mark out a plan for how something will look or work |
| designs | de (prefix)+sign (root or base)+s (suffix)→designs | plans drawn for how things will look |
| assign | as (prefix)+sign (root or base)→assignthe prefix changes to match | mark a job out for someone |
More words: resign
Next: longer words (about grades 5 and 6)
| Word | Word sum | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| signature | sign (root or base)+ature (suffix)→signature | your name written in your own hand |
| signatures | sign (root or base)+ature (suffix)+s (suffix)→signatures | names written by hand, more than one |
| designer | de (prefix)+sign (root or base)+er (suffix)→designer | a person who plans how things look or work |
| assignment | as (prefix)+sign (root or base)+ment (suffix)→assignmentthe prefix changes to match | a job or piece of work given to you |
| signify | sign (root or base)+ify (suffix)→signify | to be a mark or sign of something |
| cosign | co (prefix)+sign (root or base)→cosign | sign a paper along with someone else |
More words: significant, insignia
Stretch: long or less common words (about grades 7 and 8)
More words: insignificant, resignation
Where does sign sit in a word?
A root can come first, last or in the middle. Students who only look at the start of a word miss half of these.
- At the start:
- signature, signal, signals, signatures, signify
- In the middle:
- designer, assignment
- At the end:
- design, designs, assign, cosign
How do you teach the root sign?
Students already know sign as a word, so begin with a real one: a stop sign is a mark that tells you something. Then show signal and signature and ask what they have in common. Both are marks that carry a message. Design is the surprise, so show it last: to design is to mark out a plan. Point at the silent g in sign and design and the sounded g in signal.
A quick routine
Say, "Sign means mark." Write sign, signal and signature, and have the student read each and name the mark: a board, a light or sound, a name in your own hand. Then write de + sign and as + sign. Ask, "What mark is made when a teacher assigns homework?" Close with a dictation of assignment, part by part.
What do students mix up with sign?
The silent g trips up spelling. Students write sine or desine because they can't hear the g. Teach the pair sign and signal side by side: the g you hear in signal proves the g is there in sign. Words like signify and significant belong too, though the meaning has moved toward "being a mark of something."
For the sounds inside these words, see the phonics word lists. Routines that fit: meanings of prefixes and suffixes, circle the parts, read the base and flexible routine for big words.
Questions people ask
What does the root sign mean?
Sign means "mark". It is a Latin root. Sign is also a whole word, so students can check the meaning directly. The g is silent in sign and design but you hear it in signal and signature, which is a good reason to teach them together.
What are some words with the root sign?
Start with signal, signals, design and designs. Then move to signature, signatures, insignificant and resignation. This page lists 16 words in all, most with a word sum that shows the parts.
Why does sign have a silent g?
The g belongs to the root, which you can hear in signal and signature. In sign and design the g went quiet over time, but the spelling kept it so the family still looks like one family.
Related word parts
- de-down, away, or remove
- ad-to, or toward
- -alhaving to do with
- -ifyto make
- graphwrite, or draw
- -urethe act of, or the result of
Terms on this page: morpheme, root, prefix, suffix, base word, word sum, morphology.
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