Morphemes in “instability”
“instability” has 3 morphemes: in- + stable + -ity.
in
prefix
+
stabil
root
+
ity
suffix
Spelling changes when the parts join: the boxes show the letters as written; the morphemes themselves are in- + stable + -ity.
Each morpheme explained
| Morpheme | Type | Free / bound | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| in- | derivational prefix | bound | not |
| stable (written stabil) | free root | free | resistant to change of position or condition |
| -ity | derivational suffix | bound | quality or condition of |
How the word is built
stable → stability → instability
Each step adds one affix to the word before it; the root “stable” is where the chain starts.
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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.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many morphemes are in "instability"?
"instability" has three morphemes: in- + stable + -ity.
How do you break "instability" into morphemes?
in- + stable + -ity. The root is "stable"; in- is a derivational prefix, -ity is a derivational suffix.
What is the root word of "instability"?
The root of "instability" is "stable", built up as stable → stability → instability.
Is this morphology tool free?
Yes. The Fixie morphological analyzer is free with no signup and runs in your browser.