Morphemes in “inability”
“inability” has 3 morphemes: in- + able + -ity.
Spelling changes when the parts join: the boxes show the letters as written; the morphemes themselves are in- + able + -ity.
Each morpheme explained
| Morpheme | Type | Free / bound | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| in- | derivational prefix | bound | not |
| able (written abil) | free root | free | (usually followed by `to') having the necessary means or skill or know-how or authority to do something |
| -ity | derivational suffix | bound | quality or condition of |
How the word is built
able → ability → inability
Each step adds one affix to the word before it; the root “able” is where the chain starts.
Morphemes are not syllables
Morphemes are units of meaning; syllables are units of sound. The boundaries often fall in different places, which is why “inability” splits one way for a morphology exercise and another for a syllable count.
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Prefixes, roots and suffixes with glosses, free and in your browser.
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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.