Word roots, explained
Learn the roots.
Read the word.
WordPith explains the Latin and Greek roots inside English words, and turns them into a daily puzzle you can play on your phone.
Root of the day
FORM
“shape” · Latin
transform
To change completely
reformer
Someone who works to change an institution
cribriform
Pierced with small holes, like a sieve
conformity
Shaping yourself to match the group
Root word lists for your exam
CAT / Bank PO / SSC / UPSC
Indian competitive-exam candidates
GRE / GMAT
Graduate applicants
LSAT
Law students and paralegals
MCAT / NCLEX / UCAT
Pre-med, nursing and UK medical applicants
SAT / ACT / PSAT
High-school students and tutors
TOEFL / IELTS / PTE
English-language test candidates
Popular roots
- LOG word, study
- CON- with, together
- GRAPH write
- -PHOBIA fear
- FER carry, bear
- GEN birth, produce
- PATH feeling, suffering
- COM- with, together
- SPECT look at
- DICT say, speak
- DIS- apart, away; or not, undoing
- FORM shape
- PRO- before
- PRE- before
- CEPT take, seize
- VERT turn
- MEDI middle
- PLIC fold
How word roots work
A root is the part of a word that carries its meaning. Prefixes go before it and suffixes after. In-spect-ion is “into” + “look at” + “the act of”: the act of looking into something. Around half of English vocabulary, and most of the long words on exams, comes from Latin and Greek roots like these.
WordPith is a daily word puzzle: you get root tiles, you build the word. Free on Android, coming soon.