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Year 7 · English · Literacy

Greek and Latin roots

Using common roots such as 'tele', 'graph', 'port' and 'aud' to work out the meaning and spelling of unfamiliar words.

Awaiting educator review. This material was drafted by our content team with AI assistance and is waiting for review by a qualified educator. Please check it suits your child before using it. Created 10 October 2026.

These lessons were written around Australian Curriculum strands and matched to New Zealand year levels by age (NZ Year 1 is the first year of school). They are not yet mapped to The New Zealand Curriculum, so check them against your own learning programme.

Learning goals

Learners will

  • Learn the meanings of common Greek and Latin roots.
  • Use roots to work out the meanings of unfamiliar words.
  • Group words into families by shared roots to support spelling.

Success looks like

  • I can explain the meaning of at least eight roots.
  • I can break a word into its parts and work out its meaning.
  • I can list several words that share a root.

The big idea

Many English words, especially in science and technology, are built from Greek and Latin roots. Knowing a root can help you understand dozens of words.

Greek roots:

  • tele (far): telephone, telescope, television
  • phon (sound): telephone, microphone, phonics
  • graph (write or draw): autograph, paragraph, photograph
  • micro (small), scope (look at), bio (life), geo (earth): microscope, biology, geography

Latin roots: port (carry), as in transport and portable; aud (hear), as in audience and audio; vis/vid (see), as in vision and video; aqua (water), as in aquarium; dict (say), as in dictate and predict.

To use roots, break the word into parts, find each meaning, then combine them. 'Telescope' = tele (far) + scope (look at) = an instrument for looking at faraway things. Roots also help with spelling: 'photograph' keeps the 'ph' from the Greek root 'photo' (light).

Worked examples

Breaking a word into roots

What does 'microphone' mean?

  1. Split it: micro + phone.
  2. 'Micro' means small; 'phon' means sound.
  3. Combine: a device that picks up small sounds (and makes them louder).

Answer: A device that picks up sound so it can be amplified or recorded.

Working out an unfamiliar word

What might 'geology' mean? (The ending '-logy' means 'study of'.)

  1. Split it: geo + logy.
  2. 'Geo' means earth; '-logy' means study of.
  3. Combine the meanings.

Answer: The study of the earth, including rocks and landforms.

Practice check

Have a go, then check your answers. Each answer comes with an explanation.

  1. 1.What does the root 'port' mean?
  2. 2.Which word contains a root meaning 'hear'?
  3. 3.What does 'biography' most likely mean?
  4. 4.Which word does NOT belong to the 'vis/vid' (see) family?
  5. 5.A 'telescope' is used to:
  6. 6.Which Greek root in 'autograph' means 'write'? Type it.
  7. 7.Which root in 'aquarium' means 'water'? Type it.
  8. 8.The root 'micro' means ____. Type one word.
Answer guide for parents

  1. What does the root 'port' mean?

    carry — 'Port' means carry, as in 'transport' and 'portable'.

  2. Which word contains a root meaning 'hear'?

    audible — 'Aud' means hear; 'audible' means able to be heard.

  3. What does 'biography' most likely mean?

    a written account of someone's life — 'Bio' (life) + 'graph' (write) = writing about a life.

  4. Which word does NOT belong to the 'vis/vid' (see) family?

    audio — 'Audio' comes from 'aud', meaning hear.

  5. A 'telescope' is used to:

    look at faraway things — 'Tele' (far) + 'scope' (look at).

  6. Which Greek root in 'autograph' means 'write'? Type it.

    graph — 'Graph' means write or draw.

  7. Which root in 'aquarium' means 'water'? Type it.

    aqua — 'Aqua' is Latin for water.

  8. The root 'micro' means ____. Type one word.

    small — 'Micro' means small, as in 'microscope'.

Watch out for

  • Assuming every word with the same letters shares a root. 'Report' shares 'port' (carry), but 'portrait' does not come from the same meaning. Check a dictionary.
  • Relying only on roots and ignoring context. Combine root knowledge with the sentence to confirm meaning.
  • Thinking roots are only for spelling tests. They are most useful for understanding new words in science, maths and history.

Tips for parents

  • When you meet a long word, ask 'Do we know any part of this word?'
  • Look up word origins together; many dictionaries list them.
  • Build a word-family chart on the fridge and add to it weekly.

Go further

  • Invent a new gadget and name it using Greek or Latin roots (for example, an 'aquascope'). Write a definition.
  • Find ten words in a science book and break them into roots.
  • Play root bingo: call out meanings while players mark matching words on their cards.