Morphemes in “outside”
“outside” has 2 morphemes: out- + side.
out
prefix
+
side
root
Spelling changes when the parts join: the boxes show the letters as written; the morphemes themselves are out- + side.
Each morpheme explained
| Morpheme | Type | Free / bound | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| out- | derivational prefix | bound | surpassing; outside |
| side | free root | free | a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location |
How the word is built
side → outside
Each step adds one affix to the word before it; the root “side” 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 "outside"?
"outside" has two morphemes: out- + side.
How do you break "outside" into morphemes?
out- + side. The root is "side"; out- is a derivational prefix.
What is the root word of "outside"?
The root of "outside" is "side", built up as side → outside.
Is this morphology tool free?
Yes. The Fixie morphological analyzer is free with no signup and runs in your browser.