Morphemes in “rethinking”
“rethinking” has 3 morphemes: re- + think + -ing.
re
prefix
+
think
root
+
ing
suffix
Spelling changes when the parts join: the boxes show the letters as written; the morphemes themselves are re- + think + -ing.
Each morpheme explained
| Morpheme | Type | Free / bound | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| re- | derivational prefix | bound | again, back |
| think | free root | free | judge or regard; look upon; judge |
| -ing | inflectional suffix | bound | ongoing action (present participle) / gerund |
How the word is built
think → rethink → rethinking
Each step adds one affix to the word before it; the root “think” 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 "rethinking"?
"rethinking" has three morphemes: re- + think + -ing.
How do you break "rethinking" into morphemes?
re- + think + -ing. The root is "think"; re- is a derivational prefix, -ing is a inflectional suffix.
What is the root word of "rethinking"?
The root of "rethinking" is "think", built up as think → rethink → rethinking.
Is this morphology tool free?
Yes. The Fixie morphological analyzer is free with no signup and runs in your browser.