IELTS Root Words: 48 Roots for Academic Reading and Task 2 Writing

In IELTS Writing Task 2, the moment you want to avoid repeating a word — say you have already written important and need another way to say it — you are really asking your memory for a related word. Roots are what make that switch possible. Once you know that val means "strong, worth," prevalent, valid, and invaluable stop being separate items and become one family you can move between. The same skill decodes the long academic words in Reading: superfluous, referendum, undergraduate all yield to their parts.

Below are the 48 roots with the highest IELTS-word density — drawn from the 60 that anchor our IELTS Root Course. For each, you get the core meaning and the real academic words it generates: the kind you meet in Reading passages and reach for in Writing.

How to use this list

Don't try to memorize all 48 at once. Study 5 or 6 roots a day. For each root, cover the example words and explain to yourself how the root's meaning survives inside each one — and pick one word you could actually use as a paraphrase in Task 2. That act of rebuilding, not re-reading, is what makes a root stick.

Roots of speaking, writing & naming

dic — to say, to tell

• predict (pre + dic) — to say beforehand
• indicative (in + dic) — pointing to; serving as a sign of
• indicator (in + dic) — something that points out a trend
• contradiction (contra + dic) — a saying-against; a logical conflict

log — word, reason; study of

• psychological (psych + log) — relating to the study of the mind
• ecology (eco + log) — the study of organisms and their environment
• monologue (mono + log) — a speech by a single person
• apologetic (apo + log) — offering words of defence or regret

nomin / nym — name

• synonym (syn + nym) — a word with the same meaning
• antonym (anti + nym) — a word of opposite meaning
• nominate (nomin) — to name someone for a role
• nominee (nomin) — a person who has been named

sign — mark, sign

• significant (sign + fic) — marked as important
• signify (sign) — to be a sign of; to mean
• signature (sign) — a personal mark of identity
• resign (re + sign) — to sign back; to give up a position

script / scrib — to write

• manuscript (manu + script) — something written by hand
• transcript (trans + script) — a written copy taken across from speech
• prescribe (pre + scrib) — to write down as a rule or remedy
• subscribe (sub + scrib) — to write one's name under; to sign up

Roots of seeing & choosing

vis — to see

• envisage (en + vis) — to see in the mind; to picture
• visualize (vis) — to form a mental image
• provision (pro + vis) — foresight; a supply seen to in advance
• provisional (pro + vis) — arranged for the time being; temporary

sp / spec / spic — to look, to observe

• perspective (per + spec) — a way of looking through at something
• prospect (pro + spec) — a looking-forward; a future possibility
• spectacular (spec) — striking to look at
• suspicious (su + spic) — inclined to look at with distrust

lect / lig — to choose, to gather, to read

• selection (se + lect) — a choosing-out
• eligible (e + lig) — able to be chosen
• negligible (neg + lig) — so small it can be left unchosen; trivial
• diligent (di + lig) — choosing carefully; hard-working

Roots of motion & going

ced / cess — to go, to yield

• exceed (ex + ced) — to go beyond a limit
• precedent (pre + ced) — a case that goes before
• procedure (pro + ced) — a set way of going forward
• succession (suc + cess) — a going one after another

gress / grad — to step, to go

• gradual (grad) — going by small steps
• degree (de + gree) — a step in a scale
• undergraduate (grad) — a student who has not yet taken a degree
• upgrade (grad) — to step up to a higher level

it — to go

• transit (trans + it) — a going across
• transition (trans + it) — a going from one state to another
• initiate (in + it) — to go into; to begin
• initiative (in + it) — the first step in going forward

ven / vent — to come

• advent (ad + vent) — a coming; an arrival
• convenience (con + ven) — a coming-together that suits; ease
• prevention (pre + vent) — a coming-before to stop something
• venture (ven) — to come forward into risk

mov / mot — to move

• motivate (mot) — to move someone to act
• motion (mot) — the act of moving
• promote (pro + mot) — to move something forward or upward
• motivation (mot) — the force that moves one to act

tra / tract — to pull, to draw

• contract (con + tract) — a drawing-together into an agreement
• distraction (dis + tract) — a drawing of attention away
• extract (ex + tract) — to draw out
• portray (por + tra) — to draw forth an image of

Roots of carrying, sending & pushing

fer — to carry, to bear

• transfer (trans + fer) — to carry across
• inference (in + fer) — a carrying of meaning inward; a conclusion drawn
• referendum (re + fer) — a matter carried back to the people to decide
• preference (pre + fer) — a carrying of one thing before others

port — to carry

• transport (trans + port) — to carry across
• export (ex + port) — to carry out of a country
• portable (port) — able to be carried
• portfolio (port + folio) — a case for carrying loose papers

miss / mit — to send

• transmission (trans + miss) — a sending across
• permissible (per + miss) — able to be sent through; allowed
• compromise (com + pro + miss) — a mutual sending-forth of promises; a settlement
• submit (sub + mit) — to send under; to yield or hand in

pel / puls — to push, to drive

• dispel (dis + pel) — to drive away
• propulsion (pro + puls) — a driving-forward
• expulsion (ex + puls) — a driving-out
• appeal (ap + peal) — to drive an earnest request toward someone

duc / duct — to lead

• deduce (de + duc) — to lead a conclusion down from evidence
• conducive (con + duc) — leading toward a result; helpful
• productive (pro + duct) — leading things forth; yielding much
• productivity (pro + duct) — the rate at which things are led forth

Roots of holding, standing & placing

st / sist — to stand

• establish (e + st) — to make something stand firm
• stabilize (st) — to make steady
• resistant (re + sist) — standing back against
• constant (con + st) — standing firmly together; unchanging

pos / pon — to place, to put

• impose (im + pos) — to place a burden on
• proposition (pro + pos) — something put forward
• disposal (dis + pos) — a placing-away; a means of getting rid of
• composite (com + pos) — placed together from parts

sit / sid — to sit, to settle

• situated (sit) — placed; located
• residence (re + sid) — a place where one settles
• subsidy (sub + sid) — money that sits under; financial support
• reside (re + sid) — to settle back; to live somewhere

tain / ten — to hold

• sustain (sus + tain) — to hold up from below
• container (con + tain) — something that holds things together
• continuity (con + tin) — an unbroken holding-together
• pertain (per + tain) — to hold thoroughly to; to be relevant

tend / tens — to stretch

• extent (ex + tend) — how far something stretches
• extensive (ex + tens) — stretched out widely
• intense (in + tens) — stretched tight; strong
• intent (in + tend) — a stretching of the mind toward a purpose

pend / pens — to hang, to weigh

• dependent (de + pend) — hanging from; relying on
• expend (ex + pend) — to weigh out; to spend
• expenditure (ex + pend) — an amount weighed out and spent
• compensate (com + pens) — to weigh out an equal amount in return

clud / clus — to close, to shut

• conclusion (con + clus) — a closing-together at the end
• exclude (ex + clud) — to shut out
• exclusive (ex + clus) — shutting others out
• inclusive (in + clus) — shutting in; taking everything in

Roots of making, doing & taking

fac / fic — to make, to do

• manufacture (manu + fac) — to make by hand or machine
• artificial (arti + fic) — made by skill rather than by nature
• sufficient (suf + fic) — made enough
• facilitate (fac) — to make easier

gen — birth, kind; to produce

• generate (gen) — to bring into being
• genuine (gen) — true to its birth; authentic
• generic (gen) — relating to a whole kind or class
• generous (gen) — of noble birth; giving freely

act / ag — to do, to drive

• activate (act) — to set into action
• interact (inter + act) — to act upon one another
• transaction (trans + act) — a doing of business across parties
• agenda (ag) — things to be driven forward; a list to act on

ject — to throw

• subjective (sub + ject) — thrown from within; based on personal feeling
• objective (ob + ject) — thrown before the mind; based on outward fact
• reject (re + ject) — to throw back
• project (pro + ject) — to throw forward; a planned undertaking

plic / ply — to fold, to bend

• applicant (ap + plic) — one who folds toward; one who applies
• complication (com + plic) — a folding-together into difficulty
• implicit (im + plic) — folded in; implied rather than stated
• employment (em + ploy) — a folding-in of one's effort; work

cap / cept / cip — to take, to seize

• reception (re + cept) — a taking-in
• perceptible (per + cept) — able to be taken in by the senses
• deceive (de + ceive) — to take someone in; to mislead
• anticipation (anti + cip) — a taking-beforehand; expectation

Roots of form, turning & twisting

form — shape, form

• conform (con + form) — to shape oneself to a standard
• formulate (form) — to put into a precise shape
• informative (in + form) — giving shape to knowledge
• format (form) — the shape or layout of something

vers / vert — to turn

• adverse (ad + vers) — turned against; unfavourable
• diverse (di + vers) — turned in different directions; varied
• conversely (con + vers) — turned the other way; on the contrary
• diversion (di + vers) — a turning-aside

tort — to twist

• distort (dis + tort) — to twist out of shape
• extort (ex + tort) — to twist money or favours out of someone
• contort (con + tort) — to twist together out of shape
• torture (tort) — the twisting of body or mind; severe pain

mod — measure, manner

• moderate (mod) — kept within measure
• modest (mod) — keeping within limits; unassuming
• modify (mod + fic) — to change within measure; to adjust
• module (mod) — a standard measured unit

circ — circle, around

• circulate (circ) — to move around in a circle
• circuit (circ) — a path that goes around
• circumstance (circ + st) — the conditions standing around an event
• circular (circ) — shaped like a circle

Roots of equality, worth & the middle

par — equal; to prepare

• compare (com + par) — to set things as equals side by side
• comparable (com + par) — able to be treated as equal
• prepare (pre + par) — to make ready beforehand
• repair (re + par) — to make ready again; to mend

val — strong, worth

• avail (a + val) — to be of worth or use
• invalid (in + val) — not strong; not valid
• prevalent (pre + val) — proving stronger; widespread
• valuation (val) — an estimate of worth

medi — middle

• mediate (medi) — to act in the middle between sides
• intermediate (inter + medi) — lying in the middle
• mediocre (medi) — of middling quality
• medieval (medi + ev) — of the middle ages

minu — small, less

• minimal (min) — the least possible
• diminish (di + min) — to make less
• minimum (min) — the smallest amount
• minus (min) — less; the sign of subtraction

ple / plet — to fill, full

• deplete (de + plet) — to empty out; to use up
• depletion (de + plet) — the state of being used up
• complement (com + ple) — something that fills up a whole
• supplement (sup + ple) — something added to fill up

ali / alter — other

• alien (ali) — belonging to another place
• alienate (ali) — to make into another; to estrange
• alternate (alter) — to move between one and the other
• alternative (alter) — one of the other options

Roots of living, breathing & flowing

viv / vit — to live

• vivid (viv) — full of life; strikingly clear
• revive (re + viv) — to bring back to life
• survive (sur + viv) — to live on beyond
• vital (vit) — necessary to life

spir — to breathe

• aspire (a + spir) — to breathe toward; to seek eagerly
• aspiration (a + spir) — a strong desire breathed toward a goal
• inspiration (in + spir) — a breathing-in of ideas
• respiration (re + spir) — the act of breathing

flu — to flow

• superfluous (super + flu) — overflowing; more than is needed
• influx (in + flu) — a flowing-in
• fluent (flu) — flowing easily, as in speech
• affluent (af + flu) — flowing toward abundance; wealthy

fin — end, limit

• finite (fin) — having limits
• infinite (in + fin) — without limit
• definitive (de + fin) — settling a matter within final limits
• definite (de + fin) — clearly bounded; certain

tact / tang — to touch

• contact (con + tact) — a touching-together
• intact (in + tact) — untouched; whole
• tangible (tang) — able to be touched; real
• contingency (con + ting) — something that may touch on events; a possibility

From decoding to remembering

Reading this list once will not move these roots into long-term memory. Two things do: spaced retrieval — meeting each root again days later and recalling it before you re-read — and generation, building the meaning of a new word from its parts yourself. A flat list cannot do either for you, and it cannot tell you when you are wrong.

That is exactly what our IELTS course is built to do: every root taught through its real academic words, every lesson closing with a quiz that retries your misses until you get them right, every unit ending with a review that pits easily-confused roots against each other — so that by test day, paraphrasing in Task 2 and decoding a long word in Reading feel automatic.

Start the IELTS Root Course — Unit 1 is free

60 high-yield roots, the academic and Writing Task 2 words IELTS actually tests, and quizzes that retry your misses until they stick. Try Unit 1 free.

Keep going

• Browse every root in depth on the Roots page — click any root for its full word family and pronunciation.
• New to the method? Start with What Are Root Words?
• Preparing for other exams? See our GRE and TOEFL root guides.