Morphemes in “goddess”
“goddess” has 2 morphemes: god + -ess.
godd
root
+
ess
suffix
Spelling changes when the parts join: the boxes show the letters as written; the morphemes themselves are god + -ess.
Each morpheme explained
| Morpheme | Type | Free / bound | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| god (written godd) | free root | free | the supernatural being conceived as the perfect and omnipotent and omniscient originator and ruler of the universe; the object of worship in monotheistic religions |
| -ess | derivational suffix | bound | female |
How the word is built
god → goddess
Each step adds one affix to the word before it; the root “god” is where the chain starts.
Break any word into morphemes
Prefixes, roots and suffixes with glosses, free and in your browser.
Open the morphological analyzer →Related words
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 "goddess"?
"goddess" has two morphemes: god + -ess.
How do you break "goddess" into morphemes?
god + -ess. The root is "god"; -ess is a derivational suffix.
What is the root word of "goddess"?
The root of "goddess" is "god", built up as god → goddess.
Is this morphology tool free?
Yes. The Fixie morphological analyzer is free with no signup and runs in your browser.