Morphemes in “incompletely”
“incompletely” has 3 morphemes: in- + complete + -ly.
in
prefix
+
complete
root
+
ly
suffix
Spelling changes when the parts join: the boxes show the letters as written; the morphemes themselves are in- + complete + -ly.
Each morpheme explained
| Morpheme | Type | Free / bound | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| in- | derivational prefix | bound | not |
| complete | free root | free | having every necessary or normal part or component or step |
| -ly | derivational suffix | bound | in the manner of; every (as in daily) |
How the word is built
complete → incomplete → incompletely
Each step adds one affix to the word before it; the root “complete” 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 "incompletely"?
"incompletely" has three morphemes: in- + complete + -ly.
How do you break "incompletely" into morphemes?
in- + complete + -ly. The root is "complete"; in- is a derivational prefix, -ly is a derivational suffix.
What is the root word of "incompletely"?
The root of "incompletely" is "complete", built up as complete → incomplete → incompletely.
Is this morphology tool free?
Yes. The Fixie morphological analyzer is free with no signup and runs in your browser.