However much vocabulary your child learns, the 11+ will contain words they've never seen. The children who cope best are the ones who can take a word apart. Knowing that bene- means good and -volent comes from "wishing" turns benevolent from a mystery into "wishing good" — kind. Here are the prefixes, suffixes and roots that unlock the most words.
How words are built
Many English words have up to three parts:
un + believ + able = unbelievable
prefix (not) + root (believe) + suffix (able to be) → "not able to be believed"
- A prefix goes at the start and changes the meaning.
- A root carries the core meaning, often from Latin or Greek.
- A suffix goes at the end and often changes the word class — verb to noun, noun to adjective.
Useful prefixes
| Prefix | Meaning | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| un-, in-, im-, il-, ir- | not | unkind, invisible, impossible, illegal, irregular |
| dis- | not, opposite of | disagree, disappear, dishonest |
| mis- | wrongly | misunderstand, misspell, mislead |
| re- | again, back | rewrite, return, rebuild |
| pre- | before | preview, prehistoric, predict |
| post- | after | postpone, postscript |
| sub- | under | submarine, subway, submerge |
| super- | above, beyond | superhuman, supervise |
| inter- | between | international, interrupt, intersect |
| anti- | against | antiseptic, antisocial |
| auto- | self | autobiography, automatic |
| trans- | across | transport, transform, transatlantic |
| bene- | good, well | benefit, benevolent, beneficial |
| mal- | bad, badly | malicious, malfunction |
| circum- | around | circumference, circumnavigate, circumspect |
Useful suffixes
| Suffix | Makes a… | Meaning | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| -ful | adjective | full of | hopeful, fearful |
| -less | adjective | without | fearless, careless |
| -able, -ible | adjective | able to be | readable, visible |
| -ous | adjective | full of, having | dangerous, courageous |
| -ness | noun | state of | kindness, happiness |
| -ment | noun | action or result | movement, enjoyment |
| -tion, -sion | noun | act or state | creation, decision |
| -ology | noun | study of | biology, geology |
| -ify, -ise | verb | to make | simplify, modernise |
| -ly | adverb | in a way | quickly, silently |
Latin and Greek roots
| Root | Meaning | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| aud | hear | audience, audible, audition |
| vis, vid | see | vision, visible, video |
| spect | look | inspect, spectator, spectacle |
| dict | say | predict, dictionary, contradict |
| scrib, script | write | describe, manuscript, inscription |
| port | carry | transport, portable, export |
| rupt | break | erupt, interrupt, rupture |
| struct | build | construct, structure, destruction |
| ject | throw | eject, reject, projectile |
| cred | believe | incredible, credible, credit |
| manu | hand | manual, manufacture, manuscript |
| aqua | water | aquarium, aquatic |
| tele (Greek) | far | telephone, telescope, television |
| graph (Greek) | write, draw | autograph, paragraph, photograph |
| phon (Greek) | sound | telephone, symphony, phonics |
| bio (Greek) | life | biology, biography, antibiotic |
| chron (Greek) | time | chronological, chronicle |
| micro (Greek) | small | microscope, microphone |
Putting it into practice: decoding a word
"The explorers circumnavigated the island." What does it mean?
circum (around) + navigate (sail, steer) → they sailed all the way around the island.
Teach your child to ask three questions of an unfamiliar word: Do I recognise the start? The middle? The end? Then check the guess makes sense in the sentence.
Suffixes and spelling
Adding suffixes follows spelling rules that often appear in 11+ SPAG questions:
- Double the consonant after a short vowel: run → running, begin → beginning.
- Drop the final e before a vowel suffix: hope → hoping, create → creation.
- Change y to i: happy → happiness, beauty → beautiful.
- -able or -ible? -able is more common and often follows a complete word (enjoyable); -ible often follows a part-word (visible, terrible).
See also common 11+ SPAG mistakes.
Elevenplus FC has seven Word Roots categories — prefixes, suffixes, word roots, Latin roots, Greek roots, word building and multi-affix words — each with a learn mode and test questions. See 11+ vocabulary practice.
Frequently asked questions
Why are word roots useful for the 11+?
No word list covers every word a child will meet in the exam. Knowing common prefixes, suffixes and roots lets children make a sensible guess at the meaning of unfamiliar words in comprehension, synonym and cloze questions.
What is the difference between a prefix and a suffix?
A prefix is added to the start of a word and usually changes its meaning (happy → unhappy). A suffix is added to the end and often changes its word class (happy → happiness, a noun).
Do suffixes affect spelling?
Yes. Adding a suffix can mean doubling a consonant (run → running), dropping a final e (hope → hoping) or changing y to i (happy → happiness). These spelling rules are often tested in 11+ SPAG questions.