Morphemes in “unsuccessfully”
“unsuccessfully” has 4 morphemes: un- + success + -ful + -ly.
un
prefix
+
success
root
+
ful
suffix
+
ly
suffix
Spelling changes when the parts join: the boxes show the letters as written; the morphemes themselves are un- + success + -ful + -ly.
Each morpheme explained
| Morpheme | Type | Free / bound | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| un- | derivational prefix | bound | not, opposite of; reverse the action |
| success | free root | free | an event that accomplishes its intended purpose |
| -ful | derivational suffix | bound | full of, having |
| -ly | derivational suffix | bound | in the manner of; every (as in daily) |
How the word is built
success → successful → unsuccessful → unsuccessfully
Each step adds one affix to the word before it; the root “success” 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 "unsuccessfully"?
"unsuccessfully" has four morphemes: un- + success + -ful + -ly.
How do you break "unsuccessfully" into morphemes?
un- + success + -ful + -ly. The root is "success"; un- is a derivational prefix, -ful is a derivational suffix, -ly is a derivational suffix.
What is the root word of "unsuccessfully"?
The root of "unsuccessfully" is "success", built up as success → successful → unsuccessful → unsuccessfully.
Is this morphology tool free?
Yes. The Fixie morphological analyzer is free with no signup and runs in your browser.