English owes much of its vocabulary to Latin, either directly through borrowing or indirectly through French and other Romance languages. Understanding Latin roots gives readers and writers a powerful key to word meaning, spelling, and even pronunciation.
Why Latin Matters in English
Most English words are not purely English at all—they trace back to Latin, the language of ancient Rome. Although English is a Germanic language in its structure, over half of its vocabulary has Latin roots. In fact, the more academic or technical the word, the more likely it came from Latin.
Understanding these roots is like learning the “building blocks” of our language. Once students can recognize them, they can unlock the meaning of thousands of words.
Why Latin Roots Matter
Learning Latin roots does more than improve vocabulary—it builds word sense. Students who know that spect means to look can recognize that inspect, spectator, and respect all share the idea of “looking.” This recognition helps decode unfamiliar words without reaching for a dictionary.
It also strengthens spelling. Latin-derived words often follow consistent patterns. For example:
- Words with ject (“to throw”) nearly always have that same spelling—eject, inject, project, reject.
- Understanding cede/ceed/cess (“to go or yield”) helps explain spelling variations: proceed, concede, procession.
What Are Latin Roots?
A root is the basic part of a word that carries its core meaning. In English, many of these roots come from Latin—the language of ancient Rome. When combined with prefixes (beginnings) and suffixes (endings), Latin roots form thousands of English words. For example:
- scrib/script means to write → describe, manuscript, inscription
- port means to carry → transport, portable, import
- aud means to hear → audio, audience, audition
Even though English is a Germanic language by structure, about 60% of its vocabulary has Latin origins, and that number rises to 80% in academic and scientific fields.
Is English really a Germanic language?
The answer is: yes and no. English is Germanic in structure, which you'll learn more about in Step 5, but it's quite international in vocabulary. Our language has taken on words from many other languages, and, over time, the line between "borrowed" and "native" words blurs. However, it's easy to note that Latin, French, and German have made enormous contributions to our language. It's estimated that Latin and French are the source of about 70% of our vocabulary. While German can claim a bit less, most of the common words we use everyday, like house, man, and sun, are derived from German.
In Step 5, we'll learn about words from foreign sources because they will often be nonphonemic with unusual spellings and pronunciations. Foreign language words are not limited to the three we've mentioned so far. Greek has given a sizeable number of words. Even Arabic, Chinese, and others have made an impact. Still, our primary focus will be the system of Latin roots, prefixes, and suffixes.