Word part · Latin root
Val root words: meaning and 19 examples
In short
The Latin root val (from Latin) means "strong, or worth". It is also spelled valu, value and vail. Words with it include valuable, valuing, evaluation, evaluations, prevail and prevailed. Value is the plain word in the family, which gives students an easy check.
- Part
- val
- Meaning
- strong, or worth
- Origin
- Latin
- Also spelled
- valu, value, vail
- Words listed
- 19
Value is the plain word in the family, which gives students an easy check. Spelled vail in prevail, where the strong side wins.
Words with the Latin root val
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 |
|---|---|---|
| prevail | pre (prefix)+vail (root or base)→prevail | be the stronger side and win |
More words: value, valid
Next: longer words (about grades 5 and 6)
| Word | Word sum | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| valuable | value (root or base)+able (suffix)→valuabledrop the e | worth a lot |
| valuing | value (root or base)+ing (suffix)→valuingdrop the e | deciding what something is worth, now |
| prevalent | pre (prefix)+val (root or base)+ent (suffix)→prevalent | common and widespread |
| equivalent | equi (root or base)+val (root or base)+ent (suffix)→equivalent | worth the same amount |
More words: validity, invalid, valor, valiant, validate, available
Stretch: long or less common words (about grades 7 and 8)
| Word | Word sum | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| evaluation | e (prefix)+valu (root or base)+ation (suffix)→evaluationthe prefix changes to match | a check of how good or how strong something is |
| evaluations | e (prefix)+valu (root or base)+ation (suffix)+s (suffix)→evaluationsthe prefix changes to match | more than one evaluation |
| prevailed | pre (prefix)+vail (root or base)+ed (suffix)→prevailed | won by being stronger |
| prevailing | pre (prefix)+vail (root or base)+ing (suffix)→prevailing | strongest or most common right now |
| equivalents | equi (root or base)+val (root or base)+ent (suffix)+s (suffix)→equivalents | things that are worth the same |
More words: evaluate
Where does val 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:
- valuable, valuing
- In the middle:
- evaluation, evaluations, prevalent, equivalent, equivalents
- At the end:
- prevail, prevailed, prevailing
How do you teach the root val?
Start with value, since students already use it in math and shopping. Something valuable is worth a lot. Then show that the root also means strong: to prevail is to be the stronger side. Equivalent joins two roots, equi and val, so it means worth the same. That one is gold in math class, where equivalent fractions come up all year.
A quick routine
Write value, valuable and evaluation. Say, "Val means worth or strong. Tell me how worth or strength shows up in each word." The student explains valuable (worth a lot) and evaluation (a check of how good something is). Then show the e at the front of evaluation and ask, "What part is that?" Answer: "Ex, cut down to e." Finish by building equi + val + ent on the board.
What do students mix up with val?
Students often stretch this root too far. Valley, valve and interval only share letters with it, and arrival and removal end in a different suffix, -al. Rival has no link either. Ask the student whether worth or strength fits before adding a word to the list. If it does not, the letters are a coincidence.
Some of these words change spelling where the parts join. The spelling rules pages cover dropping e, doubling and changing y to i. 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 val mean?
Val means "strong, or worth". It is a Latin root, also spelled valu, value and vail. Value is the plain word in the family, which gives students an easy check. Spelled vail in prevail, where the strong side wins.
What are some words with the root val?
Start with prevail, value and valid. Then move to valuable, valuing, evaluation and evaluations. This page lists 19 words in all, most with a word sum that shows the parts.
Is valley a val word?
No. Valley comes from a Latin word for low land between hills. It only shares the letters. Value, valid and prevail are true members, and each one has worth or strength in its meaning.
Related word parts
- equequal, or even
- pre-before
- ex-out
- -ablecan be, or able to be
- -anta person who does something, or doing
Terms on this page: morpheme, root, prefix, suffix, base word, word sum, morphology.
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