Morphemes in “indispensable”
“indispensable” has 3 morphemes: in- + dispense + -able.
in
prefix
+
dispens
root
+
able
suffix
Spelling changes when the parts join: the boxes show the letters as written; the morphemes themselves are in- + dispense + -able.
Each morpheme explained
| Morpheme | Type | Free / bound | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| in- | derivational prefix | bound | not |
| dispense (written dispens) | free root | free | administer or bestow, as in small portions |
| -able | derivational suffix | bound | capable of being; having the quality of |
How the word is built
dispense → dispensable → indispensable
Each step adds one affix to the word before it; the root “dispense” 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 "indispensable"?
"indispensable" has three morphemes: in- + dispense + -able.
How do you break "indispensable" into morphemes?
in- + dispense + -able. The root is "dispense"; in- is a derivational prefix, -able is a derivational suffix.
What is the root word of "indispensable"?
The root of "indispensable" is "dispense", built up as dispense → dispensable → indispensable.
Is this morphology tool free?
Yes. The Fixie morphological analyzer is free with no signup and runs in your browser.