Morphemes in “selfish”
“selfish” has 2 morphemes: self + -ish.
self
root
+
ish
suffix
Spelling changes when the parts join: the boxes show the letters as written; the morphemes themselves are self + -ish.
Each morpheme explained
| Morpheme | Type | Free / bound | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| self | free root | free | your consciousness of your own identity |
| -ish | derivational suffix | bound | somewhat; like; of a nation or language |
How the word is built
self → selfish
Each step adds one affix to the word before it; the root “self” 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 "selfish"?
"selfish" has two morphemes: self + -ish.
How do you break "selfish" into morphemes?
self + -ish. The root is "self"; -ish is a derivational suffix.
What is the root word of "selfish"?
The root of "selfish" is "self", built up as self → selfish.
Is this morphology tool free?
Yes. The Fixie morphological analyzer is free with no signup and runs in your browser.