What is the difference between a base word and a root word?

Base words are the smallest part of a word that can still stand alone in a sentence, such as “provide.”

Root words, on the other hand, cannot always be used grammatically on their own. Instead, some root words require the addition of prefixes and/or suffixes to become complete words.

For example, “provide” can be broken into “pro” (“before”) and “vide” (derived from the Latin “videre,” or “to see”).