Last Updated on October 10, 2022 by Editorial Team
Vocabulary is a crucial skill for developing language proficiency. One can develop it by knowing concepts like the origin of words, word morphology, and correct use of words. Understanding all these concepts can take an intelligent and systematic approach if we have acquainted ourselves with root words. The root word can be called a basic unit of written and spoken text. Since the concept of root words forms the basis of strong vocabulary, one should practice it to perfection; online games for this concept offer the convincing pretext to do so.
Keeping the need for persistence and repetition to learn root words, we annotate here simple and engaging root word games available online. Why these games should be in your learning kit, let’s understand that first.
Root games online: Learn vocabulary gamified way
English writing and reading is the prime requirement to attain proficiency in language skills. Children with learning difficulties need additional support to grasp this concept, but fail to keep the pace as expected. Adults, too, who want to pursue English as a second language, may have different learning curves and personality traits. All types of learners may not be comfortable with conventional methods. As a result, they don’t display better performance levels. Online root games with their gamified learning environment prove efficient in building English skills due to the following reasons:
- Online root games have high engagement appeal: Engaging music, easily relatable elements and simple procedures make root words learning interesting.
- Device-friendly games offer ubiquitous learning support: Learning need not be restricted to classrooms only anymore. Device-friendly games are accessible on mobile phones, tablets, etc. The device-friendliness allows to engage in learning wherever desired.
- Better focus on individual concepts: Every root word game concentrates on individual concept of the word formation. You can find suffix games, prefix games, etc. that help strengthen the concept in mind with ample practice.
Listed here are the online games that offer a multisensory way of learning various actions revolving around root games and help learners become spelling bees.
Online root word games for easy learning
1. Random Wheel
Everyone has played Wheel of Fortune at some point in time. Random Wheel game is a friendlier reminder of that game. Learners trying to grasp the spelling of longer words can understand the formation by isolating the root word and speaking it aloud. Keep a track of correct words spoken by yourself, and resume after every spin. This format is quite suitable for learning longer spellings. Also, the idea of affixing to the root word can be understood well by raising questions related to word morphology.
2. Rooting Out Words
Rooting Our Words offers a playful context for the understanding application of prefixes and suffixes to the root word. You can select the difficulty level as easier and learn different spellings from the scratch. Once understood the basics, you can move up the complexity level and serve your learning needs suitably. This root words game offers the meaning of the prefixes and suffixes too, which makes it easier for language learners to apply concepts of synthetic phonics and word formation. Kids love to help the dog have more mushrooms that drives them to do more practice to improve scores. The collection of frequently used words make daily use communication learning hassle-free for adults too.
3. Game for word Building
What different ways root word is applied in word formation or to make word family? If you want to understand this, it is the game for you. This word-formation game tells in an interesting way how different words are formed by changing the location. The game also guides the meaning of the main word and stimulates the mind to think about its correct utility in word-formation. The Challenge of guessing more words in a given time drives the mind to think speedily; the outcome is enhanced ability to make spellings with smoothness. You will also find a considerable enhancement in vocabulary allowing you to be an articulate writer or speaker eventually.
4. Split suffixes
Suffix acts as a tail for the root word. It is a morpheme added to the end of the word to convey a different meaning. This root word game requires you to select the suitable suffix from the options given to make a meaningful word. It is designed in a time-pressed manner to speed up the formation of words using suffixes.
This engaging game allows learners to concentrate on suffix learning singularly; as a result, your knowledge of making more words using suffixes becomes more enriched. Employ this game as competition for testing vocabulary skills and extract more fun along with better learning.
5. Prefix/Suffix/Root Word
Decoding morphemes to find suffix or prefix from the word is the main actionable in this online root word game. Challenges of various kinds amounting to 15 and above are posed to the learner that requires learners to solve questions back to back in a time-pressed manner. They can further engage themselves by choosing options like doubling of score or 50:50 to add distinct gamification elements to the learning process. Put your thinking mode on and utilize it to find suffix. On deeper introspection, you can understand the way these morphemes contribute to word synthesis.
6. ‘able’ suffix game
It is quite an easy yet mind-stimulating game that gives the practice of words with ‘-able’ suffix. While playing this game, the learner can start with filling ‘able’ on the last four slots. And, by the way of hit and trial can fill other slots using the alphabet list given below the balloons screen. Balloons burst when the letters are chosen don’t fit into any of the blanks given. It is an interesting game for language learning beginners and offers the feel of scrabble or ‘fill in the blanks worksheet. Thus, both the challenge and fun are kept intact in this root word game available online.
Wrapping up,
Gamification of the learning process makes it less burdensome. We have talked about vocabulary apps and several other resources in our previous posts. Going further, students who are vocabulary beginners or at the high level of learning synthetic phonics find the best learning solution in these online games. You can take the options above, and search for more, to practice root words in the most entertaining manner. The sense of achievement and better knowledge of words come as a bonus reward as the zeal to excel offers a compelling pretext to practice to perfection.
An engineer, Maths expert, Online Tutor and animal rights activist. In more than 5+ years of my online teaching experience, I closely worked with many students struggling with dyscalculia and dyslexia. With the years passing, I learned that not much effort being put into the awareness of this learning disorder. Students with dyscalculia often misunderstood for having just a simple math fear. This is still an underresearched and understudied subject. I am also the founder of Smartynote -‘The notepad app for dyslexia’,