Morphemes in “irrationality”
“irrationality” has 3 morphemes: in- + rational + -ity.
ir
prefix
+
rational
root
+
ity
suffix
Spelling changes when the parts join: the boxes show the letters as written; the morphemes themselves are in- + rational + -ity.
Each morpheme explained
| Morpheme | Type | Free / bound | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| in- (written ir) | derivational prefix | bound | not (form of in- before r) |
| rational | free root | free | consistent with or based on or using reason |
| -ity | derivational suffix | bound | quality or condition of |
How the word is built
rational → irrational → irrationality
Each step adds one affix to the word before it; the root “rational” 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 "irrationality"?
"irrationality" has three morphemes: in- + rational + -ity.
How do you break "irrationality" into morphemes?
in- + rational + -ity. The root is "rational"; in- is a derivational prefix, -ity is a derivational suffix.
What is the root word of "irrationality"?
The root of "irrationality" is "rational", built up as rational → irrational → irrationality.
Is this morphology tool free?
Yes. The Fixie morphological analyzer is free with no signup and runs in your browser.