Morphemes in “unlikelihood”
“unlikelihood” has 4 morphemes: un- + like + -ly + -hood.
un
prefix
+
like
root
+
li
suffix
+
hood
suffix
Spelling changes when the parts join: the boxes show the letters as written; the morphemes themselves are un- + like + -ly + -hood.
Each morpheme explained
| Morpheme | Type | Free / bound | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| un- | derivational prefix | bound | not, opposite of; reverse the action |
| like | free root | free | prefer or wish to do something |
| -ly (written li) | derivational suffix | bound | like, having the qualities of (friendly); every (daily) |
| -hood | derivational suffix | bound | state, condition or group of |
How the word is built
like → likely → unlikely → unlikelihood
Each step adds one affix to the word before it; the root “like” 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 "unlikelihood"?
"unlikelihood" has four morphemes: un- + like + -ly + -hood.
How do you break "unlikelihood" into morphemes?
un- + like + -ly + -hood. The root is "like"; un- is a derivational prefix, -ly is a derivational suffix, -hood is a derivational suffix.
What is the root word of "unlikelihood"?
The root of "unlikelihood" is "like", built up as like → likely → unlikely → unlikelihood.
Is this morphology tool free?
Yes. The Fixie morphological analyzer is free with no signup and runs in your browser.