TOEFL 词根：49 个词根，解码 iBT 学术词汇

TOEFL is a test of academic English. In a reading passage you might meet construct, reconstruct, and obstruct within a few paragraphs — and if you learned each as a separate word, you memorized three things where there was really only one. All three share struct, "to build." Once you see the root, an unfamiliar academic word stops being a wall and becomes something you can take apart.

Below are the 49 roots that unlock the most words on the TOEFL — the same roots that anchor our TOEFL Root Course. For each, you get the core meaning and the actual academic words it builds across TOEFL reading, listening, and writing.

How to use this list

Don't try to memorize all 49 in one sitting. Study 5 roots a day, and for each one, cover the example words and try to explain how the root's meaning survives inside each word. That act of rebuilding the meaning yourself — not re-reading — is what makes a root stick and what lets you decode a new word in a passage under time pressure.

Roots of standing, sitting & building

st — to stand

• stationary (st) — standing still; not moving
• obstacle (ob + st) — something standing in the way
• substantiate (sub + st) — to give firm standing to; to back a claim with evidence
• persist (per + st) — to stand firm through; to keep on

sit / sid — to sit, to settle

• sediment (sed) — matter that settles to the bottom
• reside (re + sid) — to settle back; to live in a place
• residual (re + sid) — what settles out and remains; leftover
• subside (sub + sid) — to settle downward; to sink or die down

struct — to build

• construct (con + struct) — to build together
• reconstruct (re + con + struct) — to build again
• obstruct (ob + struct) — to build in the way; to block
• construe (con + stru) — to build a meaning from; to interpret

form — shape, form

• transform (trans + form) — to change the shape of entirely
• conform (con + form) — to shape oneself to a standard
• formulate (form) — to put into a precise, set form

Roots of seeing, looking & recording

vis — to see

• evident (e + vid) — plain to see; obvious
• revise (re + vis) — to look at again; to amend
• supervise (super + vis) — to look over; to oversee
• envision (en + vis) — to see in the mind; to imagine

sp / spec — to look, to observe

• specimen (spec) — a sample looked at as typical of its kind
• spectrum (spec) — a band spread out for viewing
• inspect (in + spec) — to look into closely
• prospective (pro + spec) — looking ahead; expected or potential

graph — to write

• geographic (geo + graph) — of the writing/description of the earth
• biography (bio + graph) — a written account of a life
• topography (topo + graph) — the mapping of a place's surface features

log — word, reason; study of

• ecology (eco + log) — the study of organisms and their environment
• psychology (psycho + log) — the study of the mind
• archaeological (archaeo + log) — relating to the study of ancient remains

Roots of speaking & the senses

dic — to say, to speak

• dictate (dic) — to say aloud for another to write; to command
• verdict (ver + dict) — a "true saying"; a decision
• contradict (contra + dict) — to speak against

voc — voice, to call

• advocate (ad + voc) — to voice support for
• evoke (e + voc) — to call forth
• provoke (pro + voc) — to call forth a reaction; to incite
• invoke (in + voc) — to call on for support or authority

sent / sens — to feel, to perceive

• consensus (con + sens) — a shared feeling; general agreement
• sensory (sens) — relating to the senses
• sensible (sens) — perceivable; also, showing good judgment

path — feeling, suffering

• sympathy (sym + path) — feeling together with another
• compassion (com + pass) — a feeling of shared suffering; deep pity
• compatible (com + pat) — able to bear with; able to coexist

tact / tag — to touch

• contact (con + tact) — a touching together
• intact (in + tact) — untouched; whole
• tangible (tang) — able to be touched; concrete
• contagious (con + tag) — spread by touch

Roots of motion & going

ced / cess — to go, to yield

• recede (re + ced) — to go back
• exceed (ex + ceed) — to go beyond
• precede (pre + ced) — to go before
• excessive (ex + cess) — going beyond proper limits

gress / grad — to step, to walk

• progression (pro + gress) — a stepping forward
• gradient (grad) — the rate of a step up or down; a slope
• degrade (de + grad) — to step down; to lower in quality

ven / vent — to come

• convene (con + ven) — to come together
• venue (ven) — the place people come to
• prevent (pre + vent) — to come before so as to stop

it — to go

• exit (ex + it) — a going out
• transit (trans + it) — a going across
• ambition (amb + it) — a "going around" for favor; a strong drive to achieve

mov / mot / mob — to move

• motive (mot) — what moves one to act
• mobile (mob) — able to be moved
• immobilize (im + mob) — to make unable to move

cur / cur — to run

• occur (oc + cur) — to run toward; to happen
• recur (re + cur) — to run back; to happen again
• concurrent (con + cur) — running together; simultaneous
• precursor (pre + cur) — one that runs before; a forerunner

Roots of carrying, sending & throwing

fer — to carry, to bear

• infer (in + fer) — to carry a conclusion inward; to deduce
• confer (con + fer) — to carry together; to consult or to bestow
• transfer (trans + fer) — to carry across

miss / mit — to send

• emit (e + mit) — to send out
• omit (o + mit) — to let go; to leave out
• transmit (trans + mit) — to send across
• submit (sub + mit) — to send under; to yield or to hand in

tra / tract — to pull, to draw

• extract (ex + tract) — to pull out
• distract (dis + tract) — to pull attention away
• contract (con + tract) — to draw together; an agreement drawn up

ject — to throw

• inject (in + ject) — to throw or force in
• eject (e + ject) — to throw out
• projection (pro + ject) — a throwing forward; a forecast

pel / puls — to push, to drive

• propel (pro + pel) — to drive forward
• expel (ex + pel) — to drive out
• compel (com + pel) — to drive by force
• repel (re + pel) — to drive back

Roots of taking, holding & giving

cap / cep — to take, to seize

• perceive (per + ceive) — to take in fully; to become aware
• anticipate (anti + cip) — to take beforehand; to expect
• susceptible (sus + cept) — able to be taken under; easily affected
• intercept (inter + cept) — to seize in between

tain / ten — to hold

• obtain (ob + tain) — to hold onto; to acquire
• retain (re + tain) — to hold back; to keep
• detain (de + tain) — to hold away; to delay or confine

serv — to keep, to watch

• observe (ob + serv) — to watch over; to notice
• preservation (pre + serv) — a keeping safe beforehand
• conservation (con + serv) — a keeping intact; protection

dit / don — to give

• donate (don) — to give
• donor (don) — one who gives
• endowment (en + dow) — something given as a lasting gift

pos / pon — to place, to put

• deposit (de + pos) — to put down; to store or lay down
• component (com + pon) — a part put together with others
• proponent (pro + pon) — one who puts an idea forward; a supporter

Roots of turning, folding & stretching

vers / vert — to turn

• convert (con + vert) — to turn thoroughly; to change form
• reverse (re + vers) — to turn back
• invert (in + vert) — to turn upside down
• versatile (vers) — able to turn to many tasks

plic / ply — to fold, to bend

• apply (ap + ply) — to fold onto; to put to use
• replicate (re + plic) — to fold again; to copy
• complicate (com + plic) — to fold together; to make intricate

tend / tens — to stretch

• extend (ex + tend) — to stretch out
• intensive (in + tens) — stretched inward; concentrated
• tendency (tend) — a stretching toward; an inclination

vol — to roll, to turn

• evolve (e + vol) — to roll out; to develop gradually
• revolt (re + vol) — to turn back against; to rebel
• revolutionize (re + vol) — to turn something completely around

circ — circle, around

• circulate (circ) — to move around a system
• circuit (circ) — a going around
• recycle (re + cycl) — to turn through the cycle again

Roots of making, birth & driving

fac / fic — to make, to do

• manufacture (manu + fac) — to make by hand; to produce
• artifact (arti + fac) — a thing made by human skill
• beneficial (bene + fic) — doing good; helpful
• deficient (de + fic) — made short of; lacking

gen — birth, kind

• generate (gen) — to bring into being
• genesis (gen) — an origin or birth
• pathogen (path + gen) — an agent that gives rise to disease

duc — to lead

• produce (pro + duc) — to lead forth; to bring into being
• reduce (re + duc) — to lead back; to lessen
• induce (in + duc) — to lead in; to bring about

act — to do, to drive

• interact (inter + act) — to act between; to affect one another
• enact (en + act) — to make into action or law
• activate (act) — to set into action

press — to press

• pressure (press) — a pressing force
• suppress (sup + press) — to press down; to hold back
• depression (de + press) — a pressing down; a low state or hollow

Roots of ending, filling & flowing

fin — end, limit

• final (fin) — coming at the end
• definite (de + fin) — clearly bounded; certain
• definitive (de + fin) — settling a matter finally

ple / plet — to fill, full

• complete (com + ple) — filled up; whole
• complement (com + ple) — something that fills out a whole
• implement (im + ple) — to fill in; to carry out

clud / clus — to close, to shut

• conclude (con + clud) — to close together; to bring to an end
• exclude (ex + clud) — to shut out
• inclusive (in + clus) — shutting in; taking everything in

vac — empty

• vacant (vac) — empty; unoccupied
• evacuate (e + vac) — to empty out
• vacuum (vac) — a space emptied of matter

flu — to flow

• fluent (flu) — flowing smoothly, as in speech
• fluid (flu) — able to flow
• influential (in + flu) — flowing in; having power to affect
• confluence (con + flu) — a flowing together

solv / solu — to loosen, to free

• soluble (solu) — able to be dissolved
• resolute (re + solv) — firmly loosed from doubt; determined
• absolve (ab + solv) — to loosen from blame; to free

Roots of life, breath & the heavens

viv / vit — to live

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

spir — to breathe

• inspire (in + spir) — to breathe life or ideas into
• respiratory (re + spir) — relating to breathing
• aspiration (a + spir) — a breathing toward; a strong hope

medi — middle

• medium (medi) — a middle state or means
• intermediate (inter + medi) — lying in the middle; in between
• medieval (medi + ev) — of the "middle ages"

aster — star

• asteroid (aster) — a small star-like body
• astronomy (astro + nom) — the ordering and law of the stars
• disaster (dis + aster) — an "ill-starred" event; a catastrophe

From decoding to remembering

Reading this list once will not move these roots into long-term memory. Two things do: spaced retrieval (meeting a root again days later and recalling it before you re-read) and generation (building the meaning of a new academic word from its parts yourself). On test day, that second skill is the one that matters — a passage will always throw you a word you have never seen, and a flat list can't teach you to take it apart.

That's exactly what our TOEFL course is built to do — every root taught through real, TOEFL-level 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.

开始 TOEFL 词根课程——第 1 单元免费

60 个词根，覆盖阅读、听力、写作的真实 TOEFL 学术词，错题重出直到全对。第 1 单元免费试学。

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 IELTS root guides.