6th Grade Suggested Word Parts
Introduction/Explanation
In an effort to streamline word study between grades at middle school, a committee of teachers has compiled a list of suggested roots,
prefixes and suffixes. This list identifies the most important Greek and Latin roots as well as common prefixes and suffixes for 6th grade.
These word parts are suggestions only, and may supplement the literary terms and vocabulary from reading selections students learn in the
English 6: Literature and Strategies class, as well as the words studied from the adopted text, Houghton Mifflin’s Spelling and Vocabulary.
The word parts identified with an asterisk (*) are “no excuse” word parts that are taught in 6th grade and are reviewed in 7th and 8th grades.
These word parts are the most important in terms of usefulness, and the ones that students should master by 8th grade.
Last Revision Date: May 2009.
Joint School District No. 2
6th GRADE SUGGESTED SUFFIX LIST
Suffix
-al, -ial*
-ance, -ence
-en*
-ent –ant
-er*
-est*
-ed*
-er, -or*
-ful*
-fy
-hood
-ic
-ion, -tion, ation, -ition*
-ity, -ty
-able, -ible*
-less*
-ice
-ide
-ive, tive,
ative
-ing*
-ly*
-ment*
-ness*
-ous, -ious, eous,
-ologist
-some
-s, -es*
-ward
-ways
-y*
Percent of
All Suffixes
Part of Speech
Meaning
Examples or Rules
1%
--
Adjective
related to, characterized by
Noun
state or quality of
1%
Verb
Noun/Adjective
Adjective
Noun
Noun
made of
inclined to, in a state of, someone who
someone who or something that does, provides,
or is involved with
comparative, to compare
past tense
agent
full of
to make, to form into
state, quality, condition of
having the character or form of
state of being or condition – makes verbs into
nouns
state or quality; used to form abstract
nouns/Latin
capable or susceptible/Latin
antonym of the base or suffix
state or quality
chemical
Adjective
performs or tends toward, or serves to
tentative, native
14%
7%
1%
1%
1%
Verb
Adverb/Adjective
Noun
Noun
progressive tense
in what manner
product or thing
abstract
jumping, racing
slowly, lovely
merriment
kindness
Adjective
possessing or full of/Latin
nervous, wondrous, courageous, hilarious
--31%
--1%
Noun
Adjective
Noun
Adjective/Adverb
Adverb
Adjective
a person who studies
characterized by a thing, quality, state, or action
plural
direction
in what manner
characterized by, quality of or condition of
dermatologist, biologist
awesome, burdensome
cats, boxes
forward, toward
always
funny
1%
1%
20%
4%
1%
--1%
4%
1%
2%
1%
--1%
Adjective
Adjective
Verb
Noun
Adjective
Verb
Adjective
Noun/Adjective
Noun
Noun
global, logical, partial
from “ent” or “ant” to final “t” changes to “ce”
evidence/fragrance
thicken, quicken
absorbent, student, different, deodorant, contestant
bigger, safer, farmer, teacher
strongest
sailed, laughed
runner, professor, elevator, grantor
wonderful
fortify, solidify, liquidity
neighborhood
panoramic
revolution, relation, completion, starvation
civility, abnormality, quality, unity
teachable, photographical, incredible, responsible
effortless, careless
justice, service
pesticide, sulfide, oxide
Joint School District No. 2
6th GRADE SUGGESTED ROOT LIST
Root
astro*
aud*
auto*
bene
bio*
chron
dict*
fac
form
geo*
gon (math)
grad/gress
graph*
ject
junct
loc
man*/manu
mega/magna
meter*
min*
mis*, mit
mort
opt
ped*/pod
phon*
poli/polis
port*
pose
scope
scrib*/script
spect*
struct*
tele
tract
vac
vid/vis
Meaning
stars, heaven, space
to hear
self
good, well
life
time
to speak
make, do
to shape
earth
angle
to step
writing, printing
to throw
to join
place
hand
large, powerful
measure
little, small
send
to die
eye
foot
sound
city, government
to carry
to put
an instrument for viewing
to write
to look/see
build, form
far off, distant
to pull
to be empty
to see
Origin
Examples
Greek
Latin
Greek
Latin
Greek
Greek
Latin
Latin
Latin
Greek
Greek
Latin
Latin
Latin
Latin
Latin
Latin
Greek
Greek
Latin
Latin
Middle English
Latin
Latin
Greek
Greek
Latin
Latin
Greek
Latin
Latin
Latin
Greek
Latin
Latin
Latin
Resource Word List: Houghton Mifflin’s Spelling & Vocabulary, pages 280-283.
astronomy, astrological, asteroid, asterisk, astronaut
audible, audience, audio, audition, auditorium, auditory
autobiography, autonomy, automatic
benediction, benefactor, benevolent
biography, biology
chronological, chronology
contradict, dictate, dictator, dictation, dictionary, predict
manufacture, factory, benefactor
reform, deform, uniform
geology, geologist
polygon, pentagon
graduate, gradual, progress, progression
graphology, biography, telegraph, geography
inject, reject, projection, subject
conjunction, junction
location, local
manual, manuscript, manufacture
megahit, megaphone, magnify, magnificent
thermometer, barometer
miniscule, minority, minute
permit, submission, mission, emit
mortician, mortal, immortal
optical, optometrist
pedestrian, podiatrist, pedicure
phonograph, microphone, phoneme
police, metropolitan, politician
portable, transport, portage, porter, report
compose, composition, position, posture
telescope, microscope, endoscope
scribe, scripture, script, scribble
spectacles, retrospect, introspect, inspector
structure, construction, instruct, destruction
telegraph, teleport, telephone, television
tractor, extract, attract, subtract
vacuum, evacuate, vacant
evident, video, televise, supervise
Joint School District No. 2
Joint School District No. 2
6th GRADE SUGGESTED PREFIX LIST
Prefix
anticom-, con-
Percent of Words
Containing Prefix
Meaning
Origin
less than 1
less than 1
against
with/together
reverse, remove, reduce; to do
the opposite of
apart or away; having a
negative force
within; to put or go into or
onto; to cover or provide with
out of; from
before
same
over, too much
not; having a negative force
between; among; during;
together
middle
ill, mistaken or wrong
many, much
new, recent, revived
not; absence of
beyond, too much
before; earlier
forward
again; back or backward motion
apart
half
under, beneath, below
to place or be placed above or
over
across, beyond, through
not; reversal of a state of
action; opposite of
place or situation; below; too
little
Greek
Latin
antisocial, antiseptic, antisocial, antidote
commune, community, conjunction, combine, conspire, confluence
Latin
decompose, deject, degrade, dehumidify, descent, detract
Latin
disability, disown, dislike
de-*
2
dis-*
7
en-, em-*
4
ex-, exo-*
fore*
hom-, homohypeim-, in-*
inter-*
mid-*
mis-*
multineonon-*
over-*
pre-*
prore-*
sesemi-*
sub-*
less than 1
3
less than 1
less than 1
11
3
1
3
less than
less than
4
3
3
less than
14
less than
1
3
super-*
1
trans-*
2
un-*
26
under-*
1
1
1
1
1
French
Greek
Middle English
Greek
Examples
emphasis, embalm, energy, enthusiasm
Latin
exoskeleton, exterior, external
forehead, forecastle, foretell
homonym, homophone, homeostasis, homogeneous
hyperextension, hyperactive, hyperextend, hyperbole
impatient, immeasurable, inability, inexpensive
Latin
intersect, intercom, intercept
Latin
Latin
Latin
Greek
Latin
Middle English
Latin
Latin
Latin
Latin
Latin
Latin
midsummer, midnight
mistrial, misprint, misinterpret
multiage, multitude, multigrain, multimillion
Neolithic, neonatal
nonsense, nonpayment
overextend, overweight, overcrowded
prevent, preschool, predict
progress, proceed, produce, protract
reheat, reinvest, rebuild, rewind, revert, retrace
separate, select
semicircle, semiautomatic, semiconscious
submarine, substitute, subscriber
Latin
supersede, superficial, superscript
Latin
transport, transmission, transcend
Middle English
unhappy, unfasten, unrest
Middle English
underground, underdeveloped, underwhelmed, underfed