st
Latinstand, set, place
sist · stat
376 words
ROOTS · The DNA of English words
Don’t memorise words.
Learn roots.
Over 60% of English words are built from Latin and Greek roots. Master one root and you read, remember, and even guess a whole family of words.
Take it apart
con-together, with
+structbuild, construct, arrange
=constructTo build or assemble something (v.); something constructed or a concept (n.) — click a block to dive in
Master root struct and unlock 18 moreSee the family
COURSES · Guided paths
One path — learn it, practice it, keep it
One root per lesson — its story, its word family, and a quiz to lock it in. Follow a path to the end, own the families.
Root Mastery Basics
ProLearn 15 of the most productive Latin and Greek roots — and unlock hundreds of everyday words.
18 lessons
GRE Root Course
Pro60 high-yield roots, 500+ real GRE words. Stop memorizing lists — learn the system that generates them.
72 lessons
TOEFL Root Course
Pro60 high-yield roots behind TOEFL academic vocabulary. Learn the system, not the list.
72 lessons
IELTS Root Course
Pro60 high-yield roots behind Band 7+ IELTS vocabulary. Build the lexical resource examiners reward.
72 lessons
Or, explore on your own
By root cluster, or by word list
No course required — roots and words are two angles on the same vocabulary: learn by family, or by exam target. Either path is yours.
By root cluster
Master one root, unlock a family
Understand one root, unlock a whole family. 599 roots sorted by output — learn deeper, read further.
Explore 599 rootsBy word list
Target the exam, word by word
Bring a goal — pick an exam word list and learn one by one. Every list can switch into "by root" view at any time.
Browse all vocabularyROOTS · The method
English isn’t a pile of isolated words —
it’s built from roots + affixes.
Over 60% of English words — and nearly 90% of academic and scientific vocabulary — rest on Latin and Greek roots. Understand the wiring, and word learning changes for good.
Remember deeper
Know port = "to carry", and import / export / transport all click — meaning, not memorisation.
Grow faster
Learn one root, claim a whole family. One port carries 131 words — your vocabulary compounds.
Crack long words
Strip prefix + root from an unknown long word and you already have the gist. No more freezing on the test.
Root page · in full
One root,
told in full
Not just a one-line gloss. Every root gets a full etymology, memory hook, and family map.
Etymology story — from Latin portāre to modern use
Memory tip — one line that stitches the family together
Family map — see every derivative at once
Related / confusable roots — fer, gest, part side by side
Deep dives on the most important words
stLatin
stand, set, place
From Latin stāre (to stand) and sistere (to cause to stand), with variant forms sist- and stat-. One of Latin's most fundamental roots — it underlies standing firm (resist, consistent) and helping to stand (assist). System and systematize come from Greek systēma, from histanai (to make stand), a Greek cousin from the same Indo-European root. Compounds are built by prefixes: against (resist), beside (assist), together (consistent).
Memory tip
Every st-/sist-/stat- word hides a person *standing*. Picture where they stand: resist = stand *against*, consist = stand *together*, assist = stand *beside* to help, exist = stand *out* into being, status = the *position* you stand in.
Start from the building blocks
Featured roots
Each root carries dozens of English words. Explore all 599 and grow your vocabulary naturally.
biology
gkcet4ky
The scientific study of living organisms
Root breakdown
biolife, living things
+logword, speech, reason; study of
+-ycharacterized by
bio (life) + log (study, word) + -y = 'the study of life.' This is the template for the whole family: put bio- in front of a field name and you get the life-science version of it. biochemistry, biophysics, biotechnology all follow the same recipe.
Word page · more than a gloss
Every word,
fully unpacked
From breakdown to origin, from collocation to nuance — every entry is a real explanation, not a single translated line.
Bilingual definition + UK / US pronunciation
Root breakdown — every piece links into its root
Why this meaning — the path from root to sense
Forms · derivatives · synonym comparison
Common collocations + real examples
Confusable word notes — X vs Y at a glance
Guides · Show the way
Not sure where to start?
Curated paths that string scattered roots into a system. Start here — read as you learn.
port
Latin essentials
Top 10 Latin roots to unlock thousands of words
A starter pack of the most productive Latin roots — pick them up first and watch your reading speed jump.
8 min read
form
Start here
The most common root words in English
40 of the highest-yield Greek and Latin roots — the ones behind everyday words. Learn these first and the rest fall into place.
12 min read
spec
Exam path · GRE
50 high-yield roots that decode GRE vocabulary
GRE words are not random — most are built from a compact set of roots. Learn the 50 that unlock 500+ GRE words.
14 min read
Your vocabulary
Mark what you know,
build your own notebook
Track mastery on any word or root — progress is saved automatically. Revisit what you know, focus on what you don’t.
Open my wordsUnknown
Seen
Familiar
Mastered