• 120 cards

Morphology Cards

Opens on 20 early prefixes: turn a card for its meaning, then print the set on 2 sheets.

Morphology Cards

bi-

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Next step Spell un, re, dis, mis and pre words: grade 4 Lists 1 to 9

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Prefixes, grades 2-3 20

  • bi- Two. From Latin: bicycle, biweekly, bilingual.
  • de- Undo or remove, also down or away. From Latin: defrost, decode, derail.
  • dis- Not, or the opposite of. From Latin: disagree, dislike, dishonest.
  • fore- Before, or at the front. From Old English: forecast, foresee, forehead.
  • im- (impossible) Not. From Latin in-, spelled im- before b, m and p: impossible, impolite, imbalance.
  • in- (incorrect) Not. From Latin: incorrect, inactive, invisible.
  • mid- Middle. From Old English: midnight, midday, midsummer.
  • mis- Wrongly, badly. From Old English: misspell, misread, misplace.
  • non- Not, without. From Latin: nonfiction, nonstop, nonsense.
  • out- More or better than, or outside. From Old English: outrun, outgrow, outnumber.
  • over- Too much, or above. From Old English: overcook, oversleep, overhead.
  • pre- Before. From Latin: preheat, preview, prepay.
  • re- Again, or back. From Latin: retell, rebuild, repay.
  • semi- Half, partly. From Latin: semicircle, semifinal, semicolon.
  • sub- Under, below. From Latin: submarine, subway, subzero.
  • tri- Three. From Latin and Greek: triangle, tricycle, tripod.
  • un- (unhappy) Not. From Old English: unhappy, unfair, unsafe.
  • un- (untie) Undo or reverse an action. From Old English: untie, unlock, unpack.
  • under- Below, or too little. From Old English: underground, underwater, undercook.
  • uni- One. From Latin: unicycle, unicorn, uniform.
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Prefixes, grades 4-5 20

  • anti- Against. From Greek: antifreeze, antibiotic, antivirus.
  • centi- One hundredth, or one hundred. From Latin, through French: centimeter, centigram, centipede.
  • circum- Around. From Latin: circumference, circumnavigate, circumstance.
  • co- Together, with. From Latin: cooperate, coexist, copilot.
  • com- With, together. From Latin: combine, compress, companion.
  • en- Put into, or cause to be. From French en-, from Latin in-: encircle, enlarge, endanger.
  • ex- Out of, from. From Latin: exhale, exit, exclude.
  • il- (illegal) Not. From Latin in-, spelled il- before l: illegal, illogical, illegible.
  • in- (inhale) In, into. From Latin: inhale, include, insert.
  • inter- Between, among. From Latin: international, interact, intersect.
  • ir- (irregular) Not. From Latin in-, spelled ir- before r: irregular, irresponsible, irreplaceable.
  • kilo- One thousand. From Greek, through French: kilogram, kilometer, kilowatt.
  • mal- Bad, badly. From Latin, through French: malfunction, malnutrition, maltreat.
  • milli- One thousandth part, or one thousand. From Latin: millimeter, milliliter, millipede.
  • mono- One, single. From Greek: monorail, monosyllable, monologue.
  • multi- Many. From Latin: multicolored, multimedia, multipurpose.
  • poly- Many. From Greek: polygon, polyhedron, polysyllabic.
  • post- After. From Latin: postwar, postgame, postpone.
  • super- Above, beyond. From Latin: superhero, superhuman, supermarket.
  • trans- Across, beyond. From Latin: transport, transplant, transatlantic.

Suffixes, grades 2-3 20

  • -able Can be done, able to be. From Latin, through French: washable, breakable, readable.
  • -ed It already happened, the past. From Old English: jumped, played, walked.
  • -en (darken) To make or become. From Old English: darken, soften, sharpen.
  • -en (wooden) Made of. From Old English: wooden, golden, woolen.
  • -er (taller) More, when you compare two. From Old English: taller, faster, colder.
  • -er (teacher) A person or thing that does it. From Old English: teacher, writer, player.
  • -es More than one, after s, x, z, ch or sh. From Old English: boxes, wishes, benches.
  • -est Most, when you compare three or more. From Old English: tallest, fastest, coldest.
  • -ful Full of. From Old English: helpful, careful, joyful.
  • -ing Happening now, or the act of doing it. From Old English: jumping, reading, singing.
  • -ish Somewhat, or like. From Old English: childish, greenish, foolish.
  • -less Without. From Old English: careless, fearless, endless.
  • -ly In that way, how it is done. From Old English: quickly, slowly, sadly.
  • -ment The act or result of. From Latin, through French: payment, enjoyment, movement.
  • -ness The state of being. From Old English: kindness, darkness, sadness.
  • -or A person or thing that does it. From Latin: actor, visitor, inventor.
  • -s (cats) More than one. From Old English: cats, books, trees.
  • -s (runs) He, she or it does it now. From Old English: runs, jumps, reads.
  • -tion The act or state of. From Latin: action, invention, collection.
  • -y Full of, or covered with. From Old English: rainy, sandy, sleepy.

Suffixes, grades 4-5 20

  • -age An act, process or result. From Latin, through French: package, storage, postage.
  • -al Related to, like. From Latin: musical, coastal, seasonal.
  • -ance The act or state of. From Latin: performance, appearance, guidance.
  • -ant A person or thing that does it. From Latin, through French: assistant, servant, participant.
  • -dom A state or condition, or a realm. From Old English: kingdom, freedom, wisdom.
  • -ence The act or state of. From Latin: difference, confidence, independence.
  • -hood The state or condition of being. From Old English: childhood, neighborhood, adulthood.
  • -ian A person skilled in, or belonging to. From Latin: musician, electrician, comedian.
  • -ible Can be done, able to be. From Latin: flexible, reversible, collectible.
  • -ic Having to do with. From Latin and Greek: heroic, poetic, athletic.
  • -ify To make into. From Latin: simplify, purify, classify.
  • -ism A belief, practice or system. From Greek: heroism, patriotism, criticism.
  • -ist A person who does or makes. From Greek: artist, scientist, cyclist.
  • -ity The state or quality of being. From Latin: activity, equality, electricity.
  • -ive Tending to, doing. From Latin: active, creative, protective.
  • -ize To make or do. From Greek: memorize, apologize, modernize.
  • -ous Full of, having. From Latin, through French: famous, dangerous, poisonous.
  • -ship The state, skill or position of. From Old English: friendship, leadership, membership.
  • -sion The act or state of. From Latin, the form of -tion after an s: decision, explosion, confusion.
  • -ward In the direction of. From Old English: backward, upward, homeward.

Latin roots 20

  • aqua Water. From Latin: aquarium, aquatic, aquamarine.
  • aud To hear. From Latin: audience, auditory, audible.
  • bell War. From Latin: belligerent, bellicose, rebel.
  • cede To go, or to give way. From Latin: precede, recede, secede.
  • cred To believe. From Latin: credit, incredible, credible.
  • dict To say. From Latin: dictate, predict, dictionary.
  • form Shape. From Latin: uniform, transform, reform.
  • fract, frag To break. From Latin: fraction, fracture, fragile.
  • ject To throw. From Latin: eject, reject, project.
  • manu Hand. From Latin: manual, manuscript, manufacture.
  • mot To move. From Latin: motor, motion, promote.
  • ped (pedal) Foot. From Latin: pedal, pedestrian, centipede. Not the Greek ped in pediatric, a child.
  • port To carry. From Latin: portable, transport, export.
  • rupt To break. From Latin: erupt, interrupt, rupture.
  • scrib, script To write. From Latin: describe, scribble, script.
  • spect To look at. From Latin: inspect, spectator, spectacle.
  • struct To build. From Latin: structure, construct, destruction.
  • terr Earth, land. From Latin: territory, terrain, terrace.
  • tract To pull, drag. From Latin: tractor, attract, subtract.
  • vis To see. From Latin: vision, visible, visual.

Greek roots 20

  • astro, aster Star. From Greek: astronaut, astronomy, asteroid.
  • auto Self. From Greek: autograph, automatic, automobile.
  • bio Life. From Greek: biology, biography, biosphere.
  • chron Time. From Greek: chronic, chronicle, synchronize.
  • cycl Circle, wheel. From Greek: cycle, bicycle, cyclone.
  • dem The people. From Greek: democracy, epidemic, pandemic.
  • geo Earth. From Greek: geography, geology, geometry.
  • gram Something written. From Greek: telegram, diagram, grammar.
  • graph To write or draw. From Greek: autograph, photograph, telegraph.
  • hydr Water. From Greek: hydrant, hydrate, hydrogen.
  • logy The study of, from a word for speaking. From Greek: biology, geology, zoology.
  • meter Measure. From Greek: thermometer, perimeter, diameter.
  • micro Small. From Greek: microscope, microphone, microwave.
  • morph Form, shape. From Greek: metamorphosis, morphology, amorphous.
  • ped (pediatric) Child. From Greek: pediatric, pedagogy, encyclopedia. Not the Latin ped in pedal, a foot.
  • phon Sound, voice. From Greek: telephone, phonics, symphony.
  • photo Light. From Greek: photograph, photosynthesis, photon.
  • scope To look at. From Greek: telescope, microscope, periscope.
  • tele Far off. From Greek: telephone, telescope, television.
  • therm Heat. From Greek: thermometer, thermostat, thermal.

How this list was compiled: Word parts and their meanings are facts no one owns; the wording of every card is our own. Checked on 2026-09-20. Meaning and origin of each part: its entry in the Online Etymology Dictionary, such as https://www.etymonline.com/word/un-, https://www.etymonline.com/word/-ness and https://www.etymonline.com/word/-graph. The endings -es and -est have no entry there and were read at https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/-es and https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/-est. Example words, three to a card: for a prefix or suffix the English entry of each word at en.wiktionary.org (https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/unhappy) was read for that part in the etymology, or for the line that marks a plural, a past tense, an -ing form, a comparative or a superlative, and failing that the word's own etymonline entry. For a root it looked in the example's etymonline entry for the Latin or Greek source word: https://www.etymonline.com/word/erupt gives rumpere, to break. All 360 examples passed; a word that did not, such as librarian for -ian, was replaced before the deck was built. Grade bands are our suggestion, from the Common Core language standards L.K.4b to L.8.4b and the reading standards RF.2.3d and RF.3.3a as printed in the document hosted by CCSSO, https://learning.ccsso.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/ELA_Standards1.pdf. The graph, photo, aud, bell and cede cards carry the example words those standards print for grades 4 to 8. Licence: own work

How it works

These morphology cards are 120 word parts in six sets of 20: prefixes, suffixes, Latin roots and Greek roots. The front is the bare part, such as un-, -ness or rupt. The back gives its meaning, its origin and three words built from it.

Read the full guide

Six sets, from un- to morph

The page opens on Prefixes, grades 2-3: un-, re-, pre-, dis- and 16 more. Suffixes, grades 2-3 starts with -s, -ed and -ing. The grade 4-5 sets add inter-, anti-, -ible and -ist, and il- and ir-, which are in- respelled before l and r. Latin roots and Greek roots hold 20 each, from rupt and spect to graph and tele.

Print one set for a drill or a word wall

Pick a set under Show only, turn a card, then Print cards: 12 to a sheet on Letter or A4. One set takes 2 sheets, all 120 take 10. Printed double-sided, flipped on the long edge, each meaning lands behind its part. Lay tele beside phon, scope and graph to build telephone, telescope and telegraph.

  • Pedal has the Latin foot; pediatric has the Greek child. Each ped card names the other, so teach them together.
  • Latin and Greek often name one thing twice: aqua and hydr for water, terr and geo for earth, scrib and graph for writing.
  • Transport sits on two cards, trans- for across and port for carry. Pupils can split bicycle, uniform and centipede the same way.

Questions and answers

What are morphology cards?

Cards for morphemes, the smallest parts of a word that carry meaning. A pupil who knows in-, vis and -ible can read invisible as not able to be seen. The word morphology is two of the Greek cards: morph, form, and logy, the study of.

What is the difference between a prefix, a suffix and a root?

A prefix goes in front, like the un- in unfair. A suffix goes on the end, like the -ness in kindness. A root carries the core meaning and often cannot stand alone: rupt is not a word, but erupt and rupture are.

Why do un-, in-, -er, -s and -en have two cards each?

They are different parts that look alike. The un- of unhappy means not, the un- of untie reverses an action. The -er of taller compares, the -er of teacher names a person. A key word in brackets tells each pair apart.

What grade is each set for?

Our suggestion, not an official alignment. Common Core names -ed, -s, re-, un-, pre-, -ful and -less in kindergarten, and Greek and Latin affixes and roots from grade 4. The aud, bell and cede cards use the words it prints for grades 6 to 8.

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