RootWords vs Word Radicals
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
RootWords
Learn vocabulary by deconstructing words into their root parts. Discover meanings, build new words, and improve your understanding of English. Ideal for students and English language learners.
- Deconstruct words into root parts
- Discover word meanings
- Build new words from roots
- Learn vocabulary for tests
- Progress tracking
- Daily streaks
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RootWords - Root, not Rote! Choose a root, spin as many words as you can, and show you know their meaning. Don't know the word? Tap the parts (morpheme, not morphine!). Each part has a meaning and will help you learn the word. The more you play, the fewer times you will need to tap the parts. Great for the 5th and 6th grade vocab cliff, and helpful for English language learners and students working on vocabulary for tests. Free: Learn mode, every word. Test and Audio ($1.99 per month or $19.99 per year): hear every word and test yourself. Full Access ($5.99 per month or $59.99 per year): all games, Daily Streak, Custom List, and progress tracking. Subscriptions renew automatically unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the period. Manage or cancel in your App Store account settings. Log in with the same account on the web and your plan unlocks automatically. RootWords offers subscriptions, which are subject to this terms of use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Word Radicals
Explore the historical origins of English words by tracing their linguistic journeys through Latin, Greek, and other languages. Discover morpheme breakdowns and original definitions from classical lexicons. This app offers an offline, minimal interface for an immersive etymological experience.
- Etymology chains showing word journeys
- Morpheme breakdowns
- Classical lexicon sources
- Semantic relationship analysis
- Offline functionality
- Minimal dark interface
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Ever wonder where English words really come from? WordLookup traces any English word back through history to its Latin, Greek, Old English, French, Germanic, Sanskrit, and Arabic origins. See the full etymology chain — every language a word passed through on its way into modern English. Search for "compel" and watch it unfold: borrowed from Latin compellere, itself from com- ("together") + pellere ("to drive"). Search "philosophy" and trace it from Greek philosophia — philos ("loving") + sophia ("wisdom"). FEATURES - Etymology chains showing the complete journey of a word through languages - Morpheme breakdowns revealing how Latin and Greek words were built from smaller parts - Classical sources from Lewis & Short (Latin) and Liddell-Scott-Jones (Greek) lexicons, with original definitions and quotations - Semantic relationships including cognates, doublets, calques, and loan translations across languages - Word definitions with online dictionary fallback - Falling words — an ambient display of etymology-rich words you can tap to explore - Dark, minimal interface designed for reading - Entirely offline — no internet connection required after download
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Word Radicals at 4.8 against RootWords's 4.0. Word Radicals also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 4) and update cadence (every 5 days vs every 2 months). RootWords's advantage is iOS requirement (15.1 vs 17.0). On price, review sentiment, ratings volume and ads there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. RootWords sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Word Radicals asks for nothing beyond the download.
Word Radicals holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 4 and 5 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.
RootWords ships an update every 2 months, Word Radicals every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on November 4, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | RootWords | Word Radicals |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.0 (4 ratings) | 4.8 (5 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 4 | 5 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 5 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 38 MB | 79 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 9+ |
| Developer | Charlotte O'Connell | john mckenna |
Customer experience
RootWords
Word Radicals
In-app purchases
RootWords
- Test and Audio$1.991 Month
- Full Access$5.991 Month
- Test and Audio$19.991 Year
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- Full Access$59.991 Year
Word Radicals
No in-app purchases









