Ivy Global SAT Prep — Complete Word Parts Reference Guide

A complete reference guide of common roots, prefixes, and suffixes for SAT prep.

ag, act

do\n\nExamples: activity, interaction, agent

ambul

walk, move\n\nExamples: ambulance, ambulatory, amble

ami, amo

love\n\nExamples: amiable, amorous, amity

anim

mind, soul, spirit\n\nExamples: animate, unanimous, magnanimity

anthro

human\n\nExamples: anthropology, misanthrope, philanthropy

apt

skill\n\nExamples: aptitude, adapt

arch

chief, first\n\nExamples: archetype, archbishop, archeology, monarch

aud, audit

hear\n\nExamples: audible, auditorium, audience

auto

self\n\nExamples: autocrat, autography, autobiography

belli

war\n\nExamples: belligerent, rebellious, bellicose

ben

good\n\nExamples: benefactor, beneficial, benevolence

biblio

book\n\nExamples: bibliography, bibliophile, Bible

bio

life\n\nExamples: biography, biology, biosphere

carn

flesh, meat\n\nExamples: carnivore, carnal, incarnate

ced, ceed, cess

yield, go\n\nExamples: recede, process, exceed, accessible

chron

time\n\nExamples: chronic, chronology, synchronize, anachronism

cid, cis

cut, kill\n\nExamples: incision, homicide, insecticide

civi

citizen\n\nExamples: civilization, civilian, civil

cogn

know\n\nExamples: cognizant, recognize, incognito

corp

body\n\nExamples: corporation, corporeal, corpse

cred

believe\n\nExamples: credence, credulous, incredible

dem

people\n\nExamples: democracy, demographic, demagogue

dic, dict

speak\n\nExamples: dictate, contradict, prediction, verdict

domin

master\n\nExamples: dominant, domain, domineering

esth/aesth

feeling, beauty\n\nExamples: esthetician, kinesthesia, aesthetic

err

wander\n\nExamples: error, erratic, errand

eu

good, beautiful\n\nExamples: eulogize, euphoria, euphemism

fact/fict

make, do\n\nExamples: artifact, factory, fiction

fall, fals

deceive\n\nExamples: fallacious, infallible, falsify

fid

faith\n\nExamples: fidelity, confide, confidence

grad, gress

go, step\n\nExamples: digress, progress, gradual

graph, gram

writing\n\nExamples: grammar, telegram, graphite

gyn

woman\n\nExamples: misogyny, gynecology

juven

young\n\nExamples: rejuvenate, juvenile

kine/cine

motion\n\nExamples: kinetics, telekinesis, cinema

log

word, study\n\nExamples: logic, biology, monologue

loqu, locut

talk\n\nExamples: soliloquy, loquacious, elocution

magn

great\n\nExamples: magnify, magnate, magnanimous

mal

bad\n\nExamples: malevolent, malediction, malicious

miss, mit

send\n\nExamples: emit, transmit, dismiss, missile

mori, mort

die\n\nExamples: mortuary, moribund, immortal

morph

shape, form\n\nExamples: amorphous, metamorphosis, anthropomorphic

nat

born\n\nExamples: innate, natal, nativity

nom

name\n\nExamples: misnomer, nominal, cognomen

nov

new\n\nExamples: novice, innovate, renovate, novelty

omni

all\n\nExamples: omniscient, omnipotent, omnivorous

pac, pas, pax

peace\n\nExamples: pacify, pacific, pacifist

path, pass

disease, feeling\n\nExamples: pathology, sympathetic, apathy, antipathy

phil

love\n\nExamples: philanthropist, philosophy, philanderer

port

carry\n\nExamples: portable, porter, transport, export

poten

able, powerful\n\nExamples: potential, omnipotent, potentate, impotent

psych

mind\n\nExamples: psyche, psychology, psychosis, psychopath

reg, rect

rule\n\nExamples: regicide, regime, regent, insurrection

sacr, secr

holy\n\nExamples: sacred, sacrilegious, sacrament, consecrate

sci

know\n\nExamples: science, omniscient, conscious

scribe, script

write\n\nExamples: describe, script, circumscribe

somn

sleep\n\nExamples: insomnia, somnolent, somnambulist

spec, spic

see, look\n\nExamples: spectators, spectacles, retrospect

tang, tact, ting

touch\n\nExamples: tactile, tangent, contact, contingent

terr

land\n\nExamples: terrain, terrestrial, subterranean

urb

city\n\nExamples: urban, urbane, suburban

viv, vit

alive\n\nExamples: revival, vivacious, vitality

voc, vok

to call\n\nExamples: vocation, advocate, invoke, equivocate

ab, abs

from, away\n\nExamples: absent, aversion, abduct, abjure

ac, ad

to, near\n\nExamples: admit, accord, accessible

ambi, amphi

both\n\nExamples: ambidextrous, ambiguous, ambivalent

an, a

without\n\nExamples: anarchy, anemia, amoral

ante

before\n\nExamples: antecedent, antechamber, antediluvian

anti

against\n\nExamples: antibody, antipathy, antisocial

circum

around\n\nExamples: circumnavigate, circumspect, circumscribe

co, col, com, con

with, together\n\nExamples: coauthor, collaborate, composition, commerce

contra, contro

against\n\nExamples: contradict, contravene, controversy

de

down, away\n\nExamples: debase, decelerate, decadence, decant

di, dif, dis

not, apart\n\nExamples: digress, discord, differ, disparity

dia

through, across\n\nExamples: diagonal, diameter, dialogue

dys

abnormal, bad\n\nExamples: dysfunction, dyslexia, dystopia

e, ex, extra, extro

out, beyond\n\nExamples: expel, excavate, eject, extrovert

em, en, endo

inside, within\n\nExamples: enclose, endothermic, envision

in, il, im, ir (1)

not\n\nExamples: inefficient, inarticulate, illegible, irrepressible

in, il, im, ir (2)

in, upon\n\nExamples: invite, incite, impression, illuminate

inter

between, among\n\nExamples: intervene, international, interjection, intercept

intra

within\n\nExamples: intramural, introvert, intravenous

iso

equal\n\nExamples: isobar, isometric, isothermal

mis

bad, hatred\n\nExamples: misdemeanor, mischance, misanthrope

mono

one\n\nExamples: monarchy, monologue, monotheism

non

not, without\n\nExamples: noncommittal, nonentity, nondescript

ob, oc, of, op

against\n\nExamples: obtrude, obscure, offend, opponent

pan

all, every\n\nExamples: panacea, panorama, pandemic

peri

around, near\n\nExamples: perimeter, periphery, periphrastic

poly

many\n\nExamples: polygamist, polyglot, polychrome

post

after\n\nExamples: postpone, posterity, postscript, posthumous

pre

before\n\nExamples: preamble, prefix, premonition, prediction

pro

forward, for, before\n\nExamples: propulsive, proponent, prologue, prophet

re, retro

again, back\n\nExamples: reiterate, reimburse, react, retrogress

se

away, apart\n\nExamples: seclude, secede, seduce

sub, suc, sup, sus

under, less\n\nExamples: subway, subjugate, suppress

super, sur

over, above\n\nExamples: superior, supernatural, supervise, surtax

syn, sym, syl, sys

with, together\n\nExamples: symmetry, synchronize, synthesize, sympathize

trans

across\n\nExamples: transfer, transport, transpose

un

not\n\nExamples: unabridged, unkempt, unwitting