Wordsmyth's Word Parts Database

The importance of learning Word Parts (roots, prefixes, and suffixes)

Studying word parts equips us to do the following:

Identify the meaningful elements that make up words.
Learn the characteristics of roots and of affixes, their origin, meaning, and grammatical function.
Guess (or recall) the meaning of unfamiliar words from the clues given by word parts.
Recognize the relationship among words that share a common root or affix.
Recognize patterns among changing word forms (e.g., -cept, -ceive).
Improve spelling by gaining awareness of the internal logic of words.
Increase vocabulary, cultivate morphological awareness, and have fun discovering some of the interesting ways the English language works.

For a general introduction to the terms and concepts used in our Word Parts database, see this downloadable pdf . Access to the Word Parts feature comes with your Wordsmyth subscription or a 15-day free trial.

Three ways to view the Word Parts data

1. Dictionary entries:

More than 8000 Wordsmyth dictionary entries now display information about the word parts that make up the headword. In the new Word Parts section of the entry, the headword is broken down into its roots and affixes.

Each significant word part is identified, and its origin, type, and meaning are provided. The user can also view here a list of other example words containing the word part and jump to those words’ dictionary entries to explore further. “More about this word part” notes explain in more detail how particular affixes combine with bases to form words.

2. A-Z Word Parts Page:

In addition to the Word Parts feature appearing in individual dictionary entries, where the composition of a word can be studied in the context of looking up a particular word, the user can search, sort, and browse more than 600 roots and affixes on the A-Z Word Parts page. This page can be accessed from the Search Tools menu.

3. Search Filters:

Finally, for a list of all the words in the dictionary that contain word parts information, the user can go to the Search Filter page (under the Search Tools menu), select “Word parts information” under “Entries with special features,” and click “Set filter.” This takes the user to a page that displays the list of words in an alphabetical, browsable format.

Word Parts Data in the Word Explorer Children’s Dictionary

Users of the Word Explorer Children’s Dictionary have these same three modes of access to roots and affixes information but with the example words limited to the headwords in the Children’s Dictionary. To maximize flexibility, there are links to the complete Word Parts Database from any point in the Children’s Word Parts data. In the case of roots and affixes that have no example words in the Children’s Dictionary, the word part and information about it can still be found in the Children’s Dictionary A-Z Word Parts look-up.