Morphemes in “fertilizer”
“fertilizer” has 3 morphemes: fertile + -ize + -er.
fertil
root
+
iz
suffix
+
er
suffix
Spelling changes when the parts join: the boxes show the letters as written; the morphemes themselves are fertile + -ize + -er.
Each morpheme explained
| Morpheme | Type | Free / bound | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| fertile (written fertil) | free root | free | capable of reproducing |
| -ize (written iz) | derivational suffix | bound | to make, to become, to treat with |
| -er | derivational suffix | bound | a person or thing that does (agent); also 'more' when comparative |
How the word is built
fertile → fertilize → fertilizer
Each step adds one affix to the word before it; the root “fertile” is where the chain starts.
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Segmentation derived from MorphyNet (Batsuren, Bella & Giunchiglia, 2021; CC BY-SA 3.0, built from Wiktionary), with hand-written affix glosses and root meanings from WordNet. Reviewed for classroom use; tell us if you spot an error.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many morphemes are in "fertilizer"?
"fertilizer" has three morphemes: fertile + -ize + -er.
How do you break "fertilizer" into morphemes?
fertile + -ize + -er. The root is "fertile"; -ize is a derivational suffix, -er is a derivational suffix.
What is the root word of "fertilizer"?
The root of "fertilizer" is "fertile", built up as fertile → fertilize → fertilizer.
Is this morphology tool free?
Yes. The Fixie morphological analyzer is free with no signup and runs in your browser.