How English builds new words — parts of speech, prefixes, suffixes, word families, and the patterns that connect them
Why word formation matters
Understanding how words are built gives you a superpower: when you meet an unknown word, you can decode its meaning from its parts. When you know one word in a family, you can often generate related forms without memorising each one separately. If you know create, you get creation, creative, creatively, creativity, creator, recreate — six words for the price of one.
8
Parts of speech
80+
Prefixes
100+
Suffixes
120+
Word families
The most efficient path to a large vocabulary is not memorising individual words but learning word families and affixation patterns. One root + five affixes = five words. This lesson gives you the system.
Parts of speech
Interactive sentences + quiz
Prefixes
With audio + confusable pairs
Suffixes
With audio + confusable pairs
Word families
120+ families with audio
Prefix & suffix quiz
Select the right affix
Gap fill
Form the correct word
Matching
Affix to function
Error correction
Spot the wrong word form
My glossary
Save word families to review
Word formation
Parts of speech
Click any word in the sentences to see its part of speech — then explore each class below, and test yourself
Word formation
Prefixes
Click a category to expand — click 🔊 to hear any prefix, and study the confusable pairs carefully
Word formation
Suffixes
Select a word class — click 🔊 to hear any suffix or example word
Word formation
Word families
Search or browse — click any root to see the full family with audio, then save it to your glossary
Word formation
Prefix & suffix quiz
Choose the correct prefix or suffix to build the right word — think about meaning, grammar, and spelling
Word formation
Gap fill
Use the word in brackets to form the correct word for the gap
Word formation
Matching
Match each suffix or prefix to its primary function
Word formation
Error correction
One sentence uses the wrong word form — choose the correct version
Word formation
My glossary
Word families you have saved — browse the Word families tab and click 🔖 Save on any family