Year 3 — Spelling

Word-structure spelling

Spell with prefixes and suffixes, build word families, and take your first look at morphology (word parts) and etymology (word origins).

Back to Year 3

💡Understand

MORPHOLOGY means looking at the small parts that make up a word (prefixes, suffixes, roots). ETYMOLOGY means looking at where a word originally came from. Both help us spell tricky words correctly, because we understand WHY they're spelled that way.

“unhappy = un- (prefix, meaning 'not') + happy (root word)”

Breaking 'unhappy' into its morphology (un- + happy) shows us exactly why it's spelled that way — the prefix 'un-' is simply added to the front of the whole root word 'happy', with no letters changed.

🔍Spot it

Break the word into its prefix (or suffix) and root.

Question 1

disagree

💡 'Dis-' is the prefix, added to the root word 'agree'.

Question 2

careless

💡 'Care' is the root word, and '-less' is the suffix meaning 'without'.

Question 3

rebuild

💡 'Re-' is the prefix meaning 'again', added to the root word 'build'.

🧠Think about it

Why does knowing that 'un-' always means 'not' help you spell AND understand lots of different words?

✍️Try it

Break the word into its parts.

misunderstand

Question 1

How can we break 'misunderstand' into its parts?

💡 'Mis-' is a common prefix meaning 'wrongly'.

📝Practise

Break each word into its prefix/suffix and root.

Question 1

unfair

Question 2

helpful

Question 3

replay

Question 4

In one word, what do we call looking at the small parts (prefixes, suffixes, roots) that make up a word?

💡 It's the first new word explained in this lesson.

Question 5

hopeless

Question 6

disappear

🎯Apply

Read the passage, then answer the questions below.

The unhappy, careless boy was unable to rebuild his sandcastle before the tide washed it away.

Question 1

What prefix and root make up 'unhappy'?

💡 'Un-' means 'not'.

Question 2

What root and suffix make up 'careless'?

Question 3

What prefix meaning 'again' appears in 'rebuild'?

💡 It's added to the front of 'build'.

🏆Challenge

Can you build three new words using the prefix 'un-'?

🔄Review

A quick mastery check — 3 questions.

Question 1

colourful

Question 2

Why does knowing common prefixes help with spelling?

Question 3

unlock