What is meant by a word family?

A word family consists of a group of words that share a common root or base form but may have different inflections, such as changes in tense, number, or part of speech. For instance, the word "educate" is the base form, and its word family includes "educates," "educated," "education," and "educator." This grouping helps in understanding how words are derived and can enhance vocabulary skills by showing the relationship between different forms of the same word.

The other options focus on different aspects of language. For example, synonyms relate words with similar meanings, while related words by sound may refer to rhymes or phonetic connections rather than the structural or morphological connections described in a word family. Therefore, understanding a word family is crucial for studying language as it reveals how language is structured and how meanings evolve from a common root.