Greek and Latin Roots: 40 Word Parts That Unlock Thousands of English Words

Why roots are a shortcut

Take the word telescope. It's two Greek parts: tele (far) + scope (look at). A telescope is a "far-looker". Now that you know tele, you also have a head start on telephone (far sound), television (far seeing) and telepathy (far feeling).

That's the power of roots. Each one you learn helps with dozens of words, and it helps with spelling as well as meaning. Knowing that photograph is photo + graph explains the two phs, which you can't hear in the way you say it.

Greek roots

Greek roots are especially common in science, technology and medicine. A quick spotting tip: ph (for /f/), ch (for /k/) and y in the middle of a word (for /i/) often signal a Greek origin, as in phone, chorus and gym.

Latin roots

Latin roots are everywhere in everyday English, often arriving through French. Many of them are verbs, which is why they turn up in families: port gives us transport, export, portable, reporter.

Notice that Greek and Latin sometimes have a root for the same idea: graph and scrib both mean "write"; hydro and aqua both mean "water"; scope and spect both mean "look".

Prefixes worth knowing

A prefix goes at the front and changes the meaning of the whole word. These nine cover a large share of everyday prefixed words:

Suffixes worth knowing

A suffix goes at the end and usually changes the type of word: turning a verb into a noun, or a noun into an adjective.

• -tion / -sion (the act of): construction, invention, decision
• -able / -ible (can be): portable, visible, credible
• -ful (full of): hopeful, colourful
• -less (without): careless, endless
• -ology (study of): biology, geology

How to break down a long word

When you meet an unfamiliar long word, try peeling it like an onion: prefix first, then suffix, then whatever root is left in the middle.

Two more to try: interruption (inter + rupt + ion: "a breaking in between") and transportable (trans + port + able: "able to be carried across").

Tips for learning roots

• Learn them in families. One root with five words sticks far better than five unrelated roots.
• Invent words. Ask children what a "hydroscope" or a "telegraphist" might be. Making up plausible words shows they've really understood the parts.
• Start with what they know. Microphone, telephone and photograph are familiar words that make great ways in.
• Link to spelling. Point out that the root keeps its spelling even when the pronunciation shifts, as in sign and signature.

Roots work best alongside the sound-based patterns in our guide to English spelling rules. Patterns handle short everyday words, and roots handle the long ones.