word families
Related vocabulary groups
Word families are groups of words that share a common root or base, linked by spelling patterns and related meanings.
The family around *act* includes *action*, *active*, *react*, *actor*, and *transaction*.
Teaching word families helps readers recognize unfamiliar words by connecting them to known ones: if you know *happy*, you can decode *unhappy*, *happiness*, and *happily*.
Word-modifying additions
- prefixesElements preceding roots
- suffixesElements following roots
- rootsUnderground nutrient absorbers
- stemsPlant's main axes
bases · derivation · inflection · conjugation · declension · morphemes · compounding · derivational
Words from common origin
- proto-languageReconstructed common ancestor tongue
- language familiesGroups with common origin
- loanwordsAdopted foreign vocabulary
- borrowingTemporary taking of another's
reconstruction · diachronic · doublets · false friends · sister languages · genetic relationship
Family line of descent
- lineageDescent from progenitors
- descendantsThose who come after
- genealogyStudy of family descent
- bloodlineAncestry through generations
heritage · clan · dynasty · forebears · progeny · offspring · successors · predecessors
Words with shared meaning
- antonymsWords with contrary meanings
- homonymsSame-sound different-meaning words
- homophonesIdentically pronounced words
- semantic fieldsConceptually related word groupings
thesaurus · collocations · near-synonyms · polysemy · word associations · connotations · denotations
affixes
Word-modifying additions
stems · bases · derivation · inflection · conjugation · declension · morphemes · compounding · derivational · inflectional
cognates
Words from common origin
- proto-languageReconstructed common ancestor tongue
- language familiesGroups with common origin
- loanwordsAdopted foreign vocabulary
borrowing · reconstruction · diachronic · doublets · false friends · sister languages · genetic relationship
ancestry
Family line of descent
- lineageDescent from progenitors
- descendantsThose who come after
- genealogyStudy of family descent
bloodline · heritage · clan · dynasty · forebears · progeny · offspring · successors · predecessors · family tree
synonyms
Words with shared meaning
- antonymsWords with contrary meanings
- homonymsSame-sound different-meaning words
- homophonesIdentically pronounced words
semantic fields · thesaurus · collocations · near-synonyms · polysemy · word associations · connotations · denotations
- spelling practiceword lists, flashcards, dictation, vocabulary lists, spelling bees
- language artsreading comprehension, grammar rules, vocabulary building, phonics, spelling bees
- readingfluency, read, comprehension, readers, books
- vocabularyword, words, new words, term, terms
- literacyliteracy, reading, spelling, alphabet, writing
- Learning Toolsdictionary, thesaurus, flashcards, flash cards, word list
unfamiliar, familial, familiarize, familiarly, familiarization, familiarized, familiarizing, nonfamily, unfamiliarly