Greek and Latin Root Words: 60 Roots, Meanings and Example Words

Greek and Latin root words are words built around a core part, called a root, that came into English from ancient Greek or Latin. The root carries the main meaning: port means "carry" in portable, graph means "write" in autograph, and chron means "time" in chronicle. This guide lists 60 of the most useful roots with their meanings and example words, explains how roots help you spell words you have never seen, and gives you a simple study plan for school or a spelling bee.

If you already know your prefixes and suffixes, roots are the missing middle piece. Our guide to spelling bee prefixes and suffixes covers the beginnings and endings; this page sticks to the core of the word.

What is a root word?

A root is the part of a word that holds its basic meaning. Prefixes go in front of it and suffixes go after it, but the root does the heavy lifting. Take transportation:

• trans- is a prefix meaning "across"
• port is the Latin root meaning "carry"
• -ation is a suffix that turns the word into a noun

Put together, the word means "the act of carrying across." Once you know port, you can make sense of import, export, porter, report and portfolio too.

Some people use "root word" to mean a base word that can stand alone, like help in helpful. Many Greek and Latin roots cannot stand alone in English (spect and ject are not words on their own), so teachers sometimes call them "bound roots." For spelling, the label matters less than the habit: spot the root, and the rest of the word falls into place.

Why Greek and Latin roots help with spelling

English borrowed a very large share of its vocabulary from Latin, often through French, and from Greek, especially in science, medicine and technology. Those borrowed words kept spelling patterns from their original languages. That is why roots are such a strong spelling tool:

1. Roots keep their spelling. The ph in phone is the same ph in phonics, symphony and xylophone. Once you know the Greek root phon ("sound"), you will not write fone.
2. Roots explain odd letters. Greek psych ("mind") explains the silent p in psychology, and Greek chrom ("color") explains the ch that sounds like k in chromosome. For more on letters you write but do not say, see our list of silent letter words.
3. Roots unlock meaning. In a spelling bee you can ask for the definition and the language of origin. If the pronouncer says a word is from Greek and means "fear of water," you can build hydrophobia from hydro + phob.

Latin root words and meanings

Latin roots are everywhere in everyday English. These 30 are the ones spellers meet most often.

A few spelling notes worth memorizing:

• cede, ceed and sede. Most words from ced end in -cede (precede, concede, recede). Only three common words end in -ceed: exceed, proceed and succeed. Supersede is the odd one out with -sede.
• cept vs. ceipt. Reception and receipt share a root, but receipt keeps a silent p added to match the Latin spelling.
• judg(e)ment. American dictionaries prefer judgment without the middle e. British usage accepts judgement outside legal writing.

Greek root words and meanings

Greek roots dominate science, medicine and technology. These 30 are high-value for spellers.

Greek words follow a few spelling patterns you can lean on:

• ph sounds like f. phon, photo, phil, phob and graph all use ph.
• ch sounds like k. chron, chrom and psych use ch for the k sound.
• y often stands in for i. cycl, poly, psych and sympathy all spell the vowel with y.
• rh and rrh. Rhythm, rhinoceros and hemorrhage come from Greek and keep the h.

How to use roots to spell a word you've never heard

Here is a routine you can use at the microphone or during practice.

1. Listen for a familiar chunk. If you hear "...ology" at the end, you already know the ending is -logy.
2. Ask for the language of origin. "Greek" is a strong hint to try ph, ch and y. "Latin" points you toward roots like spect, struct or port.
3. Ask for the definition. If the word means "study of the skin," build derm + -ology = dermatology.
4. Spell root by root. Break the word into chunks in your head and spell each chunk you know, then handle the leftover sounds.
5. Check the joints. Roots often join with a connecting vowel, usually o in Greek words (therm-o-meter, chron-o-logy) and often i in Latin words (ped-i-cure, agr-i-culture).

This method will not catch every word, but it turns many "impossible" words into words built from parts you already know. Our guide to difficult spelling bee words has plenty of practice words with Greek and Latin cores.

Root words that look alike but mean different things

Some roots look the same but come from different sources. Mixing them up can cost you a word.

• ped (Latin, "foot") vs. ped (Greek, "child"). Pedestrian is about feet. Pediatrician and encyclopedia come from Greek paid-, meaning "child" or "education."
• mal ("bad") vs. mall. Malfunction uses the Latin prefix mal-; the shopping mall is unrelated.
• homo (Greek, "same") vs. homo (Latin, "human"). Homophone means "same sound"; Homo sapiens is Latin for "wise human."
• phil vs. phyll. Phil means "love" (philosophy), but phyll means "leaf" (chlorophyll).

A 4-week plan to learn root words

You do not need to memorize all 60 at once. Try this plan, about 15 minutes a day.

Week 1: 15 Latin roots. Learn the first half of the Latin table. Each day, write three example words for each root and say the meaning out loud.

Week 2: 15 Greek roots. Do the same with the first half of the Greek table. Pay attention to ph, ch and y.

Week 3: the second halves. Finish both tables, then mix them together. Make flashcards with the root on the front and the meaning plus two examples on the back.

Week 4: build and break. Have a partner read a long word aloud. Before you spell it, name the roots inside it. Then spell it. Time yourself and keep a list of the roots you miss.

If you are getting ready for a school or classroom bee, pair this plan with our step-by-step guide to how to prepare for a spelling bee, and check the official word lists on our Scripps words page.

Practice: find the roots

Try to name the root and its meaning in each word, then check the answers.

1. spectacle
2. chronological
3. hydrophobia
4. benefactor
5. tractor
6. autobiography
7. pedestrian
8. thermometer

Answers: 1) spect, look; 2) chron, time, and logy, study; 3) hydro, water, and phob, fear; 4) bene, good, and fact, make or do; 5) tract, pull; 6) auto, self, bio, life, and graph, write; 7) ped, foot; 8) therm, heat, and meter, measure.

Want a quick break from study lists? Our Spelling Bee Hub home page has daily puzzle help, and you can test your word-building skills there too.

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