Vocabulary Unit 2 — Greek and Latin Roots.
This unit covers common Greek roots, common Latin roots and root word families — essential concepts for Vocabulary. Use our interactive study games to test your understanding, or review questions in traditional format below.
Pick a mode. Play.
Answer questions as fast as you can. 2 minutes on the clock. Build streaks for bonus points!
Don't want to play?
Review the questions traditionally. Click to expand.
Questions loading...
Focus on understanding.
Focus on understanding core concepts before memorizing details. Use the game modes to test yourself repeatedly — spaced repetition is proven to boost long-term retention.
This unit covers common Greek roots, common Latin roots and root word families — essential concepts for Vocabulary. Use our interactive study games to test your understanding, or review questions in traditional format below.
Key Concepts Breakdown
1 Common Greek Roots
Greek roots form the basis of many English words, especially in science, medicine, and philosophy. Students must be able to identify a Greek root within an unfamiliar word and use it to determine the word's meaning. Knowing roots like 'bio' (life), 'geo' (earth), 'photo' (light), 'tele' (far), and 'graph' (write) is essential for vocabulary questions.
Key Points
- 'bio' means life — biology, biography, biodegradable
- 'geo' means earth — geology, geography, geometry
- 'photo' means light — photograph, photosynthesis, photon
- 'tele' means far/distant — telephone, telescope, television
What does the word 'philanthropist' most likely mean? (Root: 'phil' = love, 'anthro' = human)
Break the word into its Greek roots: 'phil' means love and 'anthro' means human or mankind. Combining these, a philanthropist is someone who loves humanity — specifically, a person who donates time or money to help others. On exams, always split the word into its root parts before looking at answer choices.
2 Common Latin Roots
Latin roots are among the most common in the English language, appearing in everyday vocabulary as well as academic and legal terms. Students must recognize roots such as 'aud' (hear), 'port' (carry), 'dict' (say/speak), 'scrib/script' (write), and 'rupt' (break) to decode unfamiliar words on exams.
Key Points
- 'aud' means hear — audible, audience, auditorium
- 'port' means carry — transport, portable, export
- 'dict' means say or speak — dictate, predict, contradict
- 'rupt' means break — interrupt, erupt, disrupt, corrupt
The Latin root 'bene' means 'good.' Based on this, what does the word 'beneficial' mean?
'Bene' (good) + 'fic' (make/do) + '-ial' (adjective suffix) = something that does good or produces a good result. Therefore, 'beneficial' means producing a positive or helpful outcome. This pattern — root plus suffix — is the most common structure tested on vocabulary exams.
3 Root Word Families
A root word family is a group of words that all share the same root and therefore share a related core meaning. Students must understand that recognizing one root unlocks the meaning of multiple words at once. Exams often test whether students can identify which word in a group does NOT belong to a root family, or which word shares a root with a given word.
Key Points
- All words in a family share a root but differ by prefixes and suffixes
- Prefixes change direction/degree (re-, un-, mis-); suffixes change part of speech (-tion, -er, -ful)
- One root can produce nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs
- Watch for spelling changes in the root (scrib → script, rupt → rupture)
Which word does NOT belong to the 'vis/vid' (see) root family: vision, visible, visit, video, divide?
The root 'vis/vid' means 'see,' so vision (act of seeing), visible (able to be seen), visit (go to see), and video (visual recording) all share this root. 'Divide' comes from the Latin root 'videre' in a different sense meaning to separate, and is not part of this meaning family. On these questions, trace every word back to its root before choosing your answer.
Questions, answered.
What is Greek and Latin Roots?
Greek and Latin Roots is Unit 2 of Vocabulary, covering common Greek roots, common Latin roots and root word families.
How to study for Vocabulary Unit 2?
Start with the Quick Summary above, review the Key Concepts, then test yourself with our interactive study games. Aim for 80%+ accuracy before moving on.
How many questions are in this unit?
This unit has 28+ review questions across 5 different game modes.