4th Grade Vocabulary Worksheets: Words, Prefixes, Suffixes

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NameDateMade at homeroomtools.comDraw a line from each one on the left to its partner on the right.Vocabularyanalyzeconcludeevidenceinfersummarizecontrastcategorydetailfeaturepurposemethodresulta single piece of informationabout somethingto give the most important ideasin a short, clear formto compare two things in order toshow how they differfacts that give a reason to believesomething is truea group of things that havesimilar featuresto study something in detail inorder to understand ita particular way of doingsomethingto form an opinion from theinformation that you havesomething that happens becauseof something elseto decide something afterthinking carefully about itthe reason why something is doneor existsa typical quality or an importantpart of something
NameDateMade at homeroomtools.comDraw a line from each one on the left to its partner on the right.VocabularyAnswer keyanalyzeconcludeevidenceinfersummarizecontrastcategorydetailfeaturepurposemethodresulta single piece of informationabout somethingto give the most important ideasin a short, clear formto compare two things in order toshow how they differfacts that give a reason to believesomething is truea group of things that havesimilar featuresto study something in detail inorder to understand ita particular way of doingsomethingto form an opinion from theinformation that you havesomething that happens becauseof something elseto decide something afterthinking carefully about itthe reason why something is doneor existsa typical quality or an importantpart of something
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Next step Next: take one word apart on a word mapSpell fourth grade words

All 96 words

Thinking words 12

  • analyze To study something in detail in order to understand it. We analyze the poem line by line.
  • category A group of things that have similar features. Sort the rocks by category.
  • conclude To decide something after thinking carefully about it. From the tracks, we conclude that a deer passed by.
  • contrast To compare two things in order to show how they differ. Contrast a frog with a toad.
  • detail A single piece of information about something. Add one more detail to your drawing.
  • evidence Facts that give a reason to believe something is true. The muddy boots were evidence that he had been outside.
  • feature A typical quality or an important part of something. A long neck is a feature of the giraffe.
  • infer To form an opinion from the information that you have. From her smile, I infer that she won.
  • method A particular way of doing something. Try a different method to solve it.
  • purpose The reason why something is done or exists. The purpose of the map is to show the trails.
  • result Something that happens because of something else. The flood was a result of heavy rain.
  • summarize To give the most important ideas in a short, clear form. Summarize the article in three sentences.
Show all 96 words (84 more)

Describing words 12

  • abundant More than enough. Apples were abundant this fall.
  • accurate Correct and without any mistakes. Her count was accurate.
  • cautious Careful to avoid risks. Be cautious on the icy steps.
  • distant Far away. We heard distant thunder.
  • essential Necessary; needed. A map is essential on this hike.
  • flexible Able to bend easily without breaking. A flexible straw bends at the top.
  • generous Willing to give help, money or kindness. It was generous of you to share.
  • massive Very large in size or amount. A massive boulder blocked the road.
  • obvious Easy to see or understand. The answer was obvious to everyone.
  • reluctant Not willing to do something and so slow to do it. He was reluctant to jump in.
  • scarce Not easy to find or get. Fresh fruit was scarce in winter.
  • vivid Producing clear, strong pictures in the mind. She gave a vivid account of the storm.

Action words 12

  • accomplish To finish something successfully. We can accomplish a lot in one hour.
  • approach To come nearer to someone or something. The train will approach the station slowly.
  • assist To help. A guide will assist the visitors.
  • combine To join together to make a single thing. Combine the flour and the sugar.
  • construct To build something. The crew will construct a bridge.
  • defend To protect someone or something against attack. The goose will defend her nest.
  • demonstrate To show something and explain how it works. The coach will demonstrate the kick.
  • expand To become larger in size or number. A balloon will expand as you blow.
  • persuade To make someone do or believe something by giving good reasons. She tried to persuade us to try the soup.
  • recommend To suggest that something is a good choice. I recommend this book about whales.
  • respond To say or do something as an answer. Please respond to the invitation.
  • vanish To disappear suddenly. The rabbit seemed to vanish into the hedge.

Earth science words 12

  • atmosphere The mixture of gases around the earth. A rocket climbs through the atmosphere.
  • canyon A deep valley with steep sides. A river runs along the bottom of the canyon.
  • climate The usual weather of a place. Our town has a mild climate.
  • ecosystem All the living things in an area and how they affect each other. The pond is an ecosystem of plants, insects and fish.
  • erosion The slow wearing away of soil or rock by water or wind. Erosion carved the cliff over many years.
  • fossil The shape of a plant or an animal kept in rock for a very long time. We found a fossil of a shell.
  • glacier A large mass of ice that moves slowly. A glacier filled the valley.
  • mineral A useful substance that forms naturally in the ground. The rock held a shiny mineral.
  • nutrient A substance that plants or animals need to live and grow. The plant food adds a nutrient to the soil.
  • organism A single living thing, such as a plant or an animal. We looked at a tiny organism under the microscope.
  • pollution Damage done to water or air by harmful substances. Pollution made the river unsafe for fish.
  • resource Something useful or valuable that a country has. Fresh water is a precious resource.

History words 12

  • ancestor A family member who lived a long time ago. An ancestor of mine built this barn.
  • colony An area controlled by a more powerful country, often far away. The colony sent goods across the ocean.
  • constitution The set of principles by which a country is governed. The class read part of the constitution.
  • economy The system of trade and industry that makes a country's wealth. Farming is a large part of the economy.
  • election A time when people vote to choose someone for an official job. The town holds an election for mayor.
  • explorer A person who travels to unknown places to find out what is there. The explorer drew maps of the coast.
  • immigrant A person who has come to a different country to live there. My grandfather was an immigrant.
  • independence Freedom from being ruled by another country. The country won its independence.
  • pioneer One of the first people to do something or to settle in an area. She was a pioneer in flying.
  • settlement A place where people come to live. The settlement grew beside the river.
  • territory An area of land controlled by a country. The map shows each territory in a different color.
  • treaty A written agreement between two or more countries. The two countries signed a treaty.

Reading words 12

  • antonym A word that means the opposite of another word. Hot is the antonym of cold.
  • biography The story of a person's life written by someone else. I read a biography of a famous pilot.
  • fiction Stories about imaginary characters and events. A story about a talking dragon is fiction.
  • glossary An alphabetical list of hard words with their meanings. Look up the word in the glossary.
  • metaphor A way of describing one thing as if it were another. "The classroom was a zoo" is a metaphor.
  • opinion A thought or belief about something. In my opinion, spring is the best season.
  • paragraph Sentences about one idea, starting on a new line. Start a new paragraph for each reason.
  • prefix Letters added to the start of a word to make a new word. In unhappy, un is a prefix.
  • simile A comparison of two things that uses the word like or as. "As quiet as a mouse" is a simile.
  • suffix Letters added to the end of a word to make a new word. In hopeful, ful is a suffix.
  • synonym A word that means nearly the same as another word. Large is a synonym of big.
  • theme The main subject or idea of a book or a talk. Friendship is the theme of the book.

Prefixes 12

  • anti- Against. As in antifreeze, antiwar.
  • inter- Between or among. As in international, interact.
  • mid- In the middle of. As in midnight, midway.
  • mis- Wrongly or badly. As in misspell, misplace.
  • over- Too much. As in overcook, oversleep.
  • pre- Before. As in preheat, preview.
  • re- Again. As in redo, rewrite.
  • semi- Half or partly. As in semicircle, semifinal.
  • sub- Below. As in submarine, subway.
  • trans- Across. As in transatlantic, transport.
  • un- Not. As in unhappy, unlocked.
  • under- Not enough. As in underpaid, undercooked.

Suffixes 12

  • -able Able to be. As in washable, breakable.
  • -en To make more. As in darken, widen.
  • -er A person or a thing that does something. As in teacher, toaster.
  • -est The most. As in tallest, fastest.
  • -ful Having a lot of a quality. As in hopeful, colorful.
  • -ish A little like; fairly. As in childish, greenish.
  • -less Without. As in fearless, endless.
  • -ly In a certain way. As in quickly, quietly.
  • -ment An action or its result. As in movement, payment.
  • -ness A quality or a condition. As in kindness, darkness.
  • -ology The study of a subject. As in biology, geology.
  • -ward Toward a place or a direction. As in backward, homeward.

How this list was compiled: Word list chosen for this site on 2026-09-30; the grade is our suggestion and the list follows no published programme or standard. Each meaning is written in our own words and was checked that day against the entry for the word in the Cambridge Dictionary, US edition (https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/): it gives a sense the entry lists, in shorter words. The prefixes and suffixes were checked in the same dictionary's entries for each word part. The example sentence after each meaning is our own. Licence: own work

How it works

These 4th grade vocabulary worksheets print twelve words on the left and their meanings, mixed up, on the right. Six sets hold 72 words, such as infer, reluctant and treaty, and two more hold twelve prefixes and twelve suffixes.

Read the full guide

Six word sets

Set opens on Thinking words. The others are Describing, Action, Earth science, History and Reading words. The list is our own suggestion for the grade, and none of it repeats our third grade list.

Prefixes and suffixes

The Prefixes set matches un-, re-, pre-, mis-, over-, under-, sub-, inter-, mid-, semi-, anti- and trans- to what they mean. The Suffixes set does the same for -ful, -less, -er, -est, -ly, -able, -ness, -ment, -ology, -ward, -ish and -en.

Words from your own unit

Type lines such as drought = a long time with no rain in the box above the sheet. Your pairs take the place of the sample.

  • Under the tool every word has an example sentence, and every prefix and suffix two example words.
  • Text size opens on Small so that twelve meanings fit one page. Cut and paste, under Answer by, prints fewer pairs, as tiles.

Questions and answers

What is on a 4th grade vocabulary list?

Ours has academic words such as analyze, conclude and evidence, describing and action words, and subject words from earth science, history and reading, such as erosion, treaty and metaphor. It is a suggestion for the grade, not an official list.

Why teach prefixes and suffixes with vocabulary?

A word part carries its meaning into every word it joins: un- means not in unhappy, and -less means without in fearless. The Common Core language standards for grade 4 ask students to use affixes and roots as clues to a word's meaning.

Is there an answer key?

Yes. It prints as the last page unless you untick Add an answer key as the last page, under More options. Press See the answers to check on screen.

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