The following table lists the most common word roots, their meanings, and examples of words with those roots. There are more than 150 roots here, but don’t be intimidated by the length of this list. To learn these roots, try breaking the list down into manageable chunks of ten to 20 roots and memorize them section by section.
Some of these roots many already be familiar to you—you use words with these roots every day!
| S.No. | ROOT | MEANING | EXAMPLES |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ac, acr | sharp, bitter | acid, acute, acrimonious |
| 2 | act, ag | to do, to drive, to force, to lead | agent, enact, agitate |
| 3 | ad, al | to, toward, near | adjacent, adhere, allure |
| 4 | al, ali, alter | other, another | alternative, alias, alien |
| 5 | am | love | amiable, amity, enamor |
| 6 | amb | to go, to walk | ambulatory, preamble, ambush |
| 7 | amb, amph | both, more than one, around | ambiguous, ambivalent, amphitheater |
| 8 | anim | life, mind, soul, spirit | unanimous, animosity, equanimity |
| 9 | annui, ennui | year | annual, anniversary, perennial |
| 10 | anthro, andr | man, human | anthropology, android, misanthrope |
| 11 | apo | away | apology, apocalypse, apotheosis |
| 12 | apt, ept | skill, fitness, ability | adapt, adept, inept |
| 13 | arch, archi, archy | chief, principal, ruler | hierarchy, monarchy, anarchy |
| 14 | auto | self | automatic, autonomy, automaton |
| 15 | be | to be, to have a certain quality | befriend, bemoan, belittle |
| 16 | bel, bell | war | rebel, belligerent, antebellum |
| 17 | ben, bon | good | benefit, benevolent, bonus |
| 18 | cad, cid | to fall, to happen by chance | accident, coincidence, cascade |
| 19 | cant, cent, chant | to sing | chant, enchant, recant |
| 20 | cap, capit, cipit | head, headlong | capital, principal, capitulate |
| 21 | cap, cip, cept | to take, to get | capture, intercept, emancipate |
| 22 | card, cord, cour | heart | encourage, cardiac, discord |
| 23 | carn | flesh | carnivore, reincarnation, carnage |
| 24 | cast, chast | cut | caste, chastise, castigate |
| 25 | ced, ceed, cess | to go, to yield, to stop | exceed, concede, incessant |
| 26 | centr | center | central, concentric, eccentric |
| 27 | cern, cert, cret, crim, crit | to separate, to judge, to distinguish, to decide | ascertain, critique, discern |
| 28 | chron | time | chronic, chronology, synchronize |
| 29 | cis | to cut | scissors, precise, incisive |
| 30 | cla, clo, clu | shut, close | closet, enclose, preclude |
| 31 | claim, clam | to shout, to cry out | exclaim, proclaim, clamor |
| 32 | cli, clin | to lean toward, bend | decline, recline, proclivity |
| 33 | cour, cur | running, a course | recur, incursion, cursory |
| 34 | crat, cracy | to govern | democracy, autocracy, bureaucracy |
| 35 | cre, cresc, cret | to grow | creation, increase, increment |
| 36 | cred | to believe, to trust | incredible, credit, incredulous |
| 37 | cryp | hidden | crypt, cryptic, cryptography |
| 38 | cub, cumb | to lie down | succumb, incubate, incumbent |
| 39 | culp | blame | culprit, culpable, exculpate |
| 40 | dac, doc | to teach | doctor, indoctrinate, docile |
| 41 | dem | people | democracy, epidemic, pandemic |
| 42 | di, dia | apart, through | dialogue, diatribe, dichotomy |
| 43 | dic, dict, dit | to say, to tell, to use words | predict, dictionary, indict |
| 44 | dign | worth | dignity, indignant |
| 45 | dog, dox | opinion | dogma, orthodox, paradox |
| 46 | dol | suffer, pain | condolence, indolence, dolorous |
| 47 | don, dot, dow | to give | donate, endow, endow |
| 48 | dub | doubt | dubious, indubitable, dubiety |
| 49 | duc, duct | to lead | conduct, induct, conducive |
| 50 | dur | hard | endure, durable, obdurate |
| 51 | dys | faulty, abnormal | dysfunctional, dystopia, dyslexia |
| 52 | epi | upon | epidemic, epigram, epigraph |
| 53 | equ | equal, even | equation, equanimity, equivocate |
| 54 | err | to wander | err, error, erratic |
| 55 | esce | becoming | adolescent, coalesce, acquiesce |
| 56 | eu | good, well | euphoria, eulogy, euthanasia |
| 57 | fab, fam | speak | fable, famous, affable |
| 58 | fac, fic, fig, fait, feit, fy | to do, to make | fiction, factory, feign |
| 59 | fer | to bring, to carry, to bear | offer, transfer, proliferate |
| 60 | ferv | to boil, to bubble | fervor, fervid, effervescent |
| 61 | fid | faith, trust | confide, fidelity, infidel |
| 62 | fin | end | final, finite, affinity |
| 63 | flag, flam | to burn | flame, flammable, inflammatory |
| 64 | flect, flex | to bend | deflect, reflect, flexible |
| 65 | flu, flux | to flow | fluid, fluctuation, superfluous |
| 66 | fore | before | foresight, forestall, forbear |
| 67 | fort | chance | fortune, fortunate, fortuitous |
| 68 | fra, frac, frag, fring | to break | fracture, fraction, infringe |
| 69 | fus | to pour | infusion, diffuse |
| 70 | gen | birth, creation, race, kind | generous, genetics, homogenous |
| 71 | gn, gno | to know | ignore, recognize, incognito |
| 72 | grad, gress | to step | progress, aggressive, digress |
| 73 | grat | pleasing | grateful, gratitude, ingratiate |
| 74 | her, hes | to stick | cohere, adherent, inherent |
| 75 | (h)etero | different, other | heterosexual, heterogeneous, heterodox |
| 76 | (h)om | same | homogeneous, homonym |
| 77 | hyper | over, excessive | hyperactive, hyperextend, hyperbole |
| 78 | id | one’s own | idiom, idiosyncrasy, ideology |
| 79 | ject | to throw, to throw down | eject, dejected, conjecture |
| 80 | join, junct | to meet, to join | joint, junction, juxtapose |
| 81 | jur | to swear | jury, perjury, abjure |
| 82 | lect, leg | to select, to choose | election, select, eclectic |
| 83 | lev | lift, light, rise | elevator, lever, alleviate |
| 84 | loc, log, loqu | word, speech | dialogue, eloquent, loquacious |
| 85 | luc, lum, lus | light | illustrate, lucid, luminous |
| 86 | lud, lus | to play | illusion, elude, allude |
| 87 | lug, lut, luv | to wash | lavatory, dilute, deluge |
| 88 | mag, maj, max | big | magnify, magnitude, magnanimous |
| 89 | man | hand | manual, manufacture, manifest |
| 90 | min | small | minute, diminish, minutiae |
| 91 | min | to project, to hang over | prominent, imminent, preeminent |
| 92 | mis, mit | to send | transmit, remit, intermittent |
| 93 | mon, monit | to warn | monitor, admonish, remonstrate |
| 94 | morph | shape | amorphous, metamorphosis, anthropomorphic |
| 95 | mort | death | immortal, morbid, moratorium |
| 96 | mut | change | mutate, immutable, permutation |
| 97 | nam, nom, noun, nown, nym | rule, order | economy, taxonomy, autonomy |
| 98 | nat, nas, nai | to be born | native, nascent, renaissance |
| 99 | nec, nic, noc, nox | harm, death | innocent, noxious, innocuous |
| 100 | nom, nym, noun, nown | name | nominate, homonym, nominal |
| 101 | nounc, nunc | to announce | announce, pronounce, denounce |
| 102 | nov, neo, nou | new | novice, novel, neophyte |
| 103 | ob, oc, of, op | toward, to, against, completely, over | object, obstruct, obsequious |
| 104 | omni | all | omnipresent, omnipotent, omniscient |
| 105 | pac, peas | peace | pacify, appease, pacifier |
| 106 | pan | all, everyone | panorama, pandemic, panacea |
| 107 | par | equal | par, disparate, parity |
| 108 | para | next to, beside | parallel, paragon, paradox |
| 109 | pas, pat, path | feeling, suffering, disease | passionate, antipathy, apathetic |
| 110 | pau, po, pov, pu | few, little, poor | poverty, pauper, impoverish |
| 111 | ped | child, education | pediatrician, encyclopedia, pedantic |
| 112 | ped, pod | foot | pedestrian, expedite, impede |
| 113 | pen, pun | to pay, to compensate | penalty, punishment, penance |
| 114 | pend, pens | to hang, to weigh, to pay | depend, compensate, pensive |
| 115 | per | completely, wrong | perplex, permeate, pervade |
| 116 | peri | around | perimeter, peripheral, peripatetic |
| 117 | pet, pit | to go, to seek, to strive | compete, petition, impetuous |
| 118 | phil | love | philosophy, philanthropy, bibliophile |
| 119 | phone | sound | telephone, homophone, cacophony |
| 120 | plac | to please | placid, placebo, complacent |
| 121 | ple | to fill | complete, deplete, plethora |
| 122 | plex, plic, ply | to fold, to twist, to tangle, to bend | complex, comply, implicit |
| 123 | pon, pos, pound | to put, to place | expose, component, juxtapose |
| 124 | port | to carry | import, portable, importune |
| 125 | prehend, prise | to take, to get, to seize | surprise, apprehend, reprisal |
| 126 | pro | much, for, a lot | proliferate, profuse, proselytize |
| 127 | prob | to prove, to test | probe, probation, reprobate |
| 128 | pug | to fight | repugnant, pugnacious, impugn |
| 129 | punc, pung, poign | to point, to prick | point, puncture, punctilious |
| 130 | que, quis | to seek | inquisitive, conquest, query |
| 131 | qui | quiet | quiet, tranquil, acquiesce |
| 132 | rid, ris | to laugh | riddle, ridiculous, derision |
| 133 | rog | to ask | interrogate, surrogate, abrogate |
| 134 | sacr, sanct, secr | sacred | sacred, sacrament, sanction |
| 135 | sal, sil, sault, sult | to leap, to jump | assault, insolent, desultory |
| 136 | sci | to know | conscious, science, omniscient |
| 137 | scribe, scrip | to write | scribble, prescribe, circumscribe |
| 138 | se | apart | separate, segregate, seditious |
| 139 | sec, sequ | to follow | consequence, sequel, obsequious |
| 140 | sed, sess, sid | to sit, to be still, to plan, to plot | subside, assiduous, dissident |
| 141 | sens, sent | to feel, to be aware | sense, sentiment, dissent |
| 142 | sol | to loosen, to free | dissolve, resolution, dissolution |
| 143 | spec, spic, spit | to look, to see | perspective, speculation, circumspect |
| 144 | sta, sti | to stand, to be in place | static, obstinate, steadfast |
| 145 | sua | smooth | suave, persuade, dissuade |
| 146 | tac, tic | to be silent | tacit, reticent, taciturn |
| 147 | tain, ten, tent, tin | to hold | detain, sustain, tenacious |
| 148 | tend, tens, tent, tenu | to stretch, to thin | extend, tension, tenuous |
| 149 | theo | god, religion | atheist, theology, apotheosis |
| 150 | tract | to drag, to pull, to draw | attract, detract, tractable |
| 151 | us, ut | to use | abuse, utility, usurp |
| 152 | ven, vent | to come, to move toward | convene, venture, intervene |
| 153 | ver | truth | verdict, verisimilitude, veritable |
| 154 | vers, vert | to turn | revert, aversion, versatile |
| 155 | vi | life | vivid, vigorous, vicarious |
| 156 | vid, vis | to see | evident, survey, visionary |
| 157 | voc, vok | to call | vocal, advocate, equivocate |
| 158 | vol | to wish | volunteer, volition, benevolence |
