Prefixes

A prefix is a group of letters placed before the root of a word. For

example, the word “unhappy” consists of the prefix “un-” [which means
“not”] combined with the root (or stem) word “happy”; the word
“unhappy” means “not happy.”

A short list of prefixes:

Prefix Meaning Examples

de- from, down, away, reverse, opposite decode, decrease

dis- not, opposite, reverse, away disagree, disappear

ex- out of, away from, lacking, former exhale, explosion

il- not illegal, illogical

im- not, without impossible, improper

in- not, without inaction, invisible

mis- bad, wrong mislead, misplace

non- not nonfiction, nonsense

pre- before prefix, prehistory

pro- for, forward, before proactive, profess, program

re- again, back react, reappear

un- against, not, opposite undo, unequal, unusual

 Suffixes

A suffix is a group of letters placed after the root of a word. For

example, the word flavorless consists of the root word “flavor”
combined with the suffix “-less” [which means “without”]; the word
“flavorless” means “having no flavor.”

A short list of suffixes:

Suffix Meaning Examples

-able able to, having the quality of comfortable, portable

-al relating to annual comical

-er comparative bigger, stronger

-est superlative strongest, tiniest

-ful full of beautiful, grateful

-ible forming an adjective reversible, terrible

-ily forming an adverb eerily, happily, lazily

-ing denoting an action, a material, or a acting, showing

gerund

-less without, not affected by friendless, tireless

-ly forming an adjective clearly, hourly

-ness denoting a state or condition kindness, wilderness

-y full of, denoting a condition, or a glory, messy, victory

diminutive
Prefixes: meanings and use
The most commonly-used prefixes are those that change an adjective with a positive
meaning into one with a negative or opposing meaning, for
example: uncomfortable. Prefixes that change the word to a negative meaning
include: in-, ir-, im- and dis-. Examples formed using this type of prefix
are: inactive, irregular, impossible and dishonest.

Prefix Meaning Example

anti- opposed/to prevent antidote

counter- opposite/ opposed to counterproductive

de- something is removed de-activate

or reduced

dis- negative/opposite disadvantage

ex- former ex-wife

extra- outside/beyond extra-curricular

fore- before forewarn

homo- same homosexual

hyper- very/extremely hyper-sensitive

il- negative/opposite illogical

im- negative/opposite immature

in- negative/opposite inexpensive

inter- between international

ir- negative/opposite irregular

mal- bad/wrong malpractice

mid- middle midwinter

mis- bad/wrong misplace

mono- one monorail

neo- new neoclassical

non- not nondescript

omni- all omnivore

out- outside/beyond/bigger outweigh

pre- before pre-date

re- again re-arrange

semi- half semicircle

sub- under submerge

super- bigger/more powerful superhero

un- negative/opposite unbelievable

under- beneath/not enough underplay

Some groups of prefixes have very specific meanings and uses. The table below
summarises the most common prefixes for metric measures, those that describe
multiples of units and those indicating fractions of units.

Prefix Meaning Example

deca- ten times a unit decathlon

kilo- one thousand kilometre

times a unit

mega- one million megabyte

times a unit

giga- one billion units gigawatt

deci- one tenth of a decilitre

unit

centi- one hundredth centimetre

of a unit
milli- one thousandth millimetre
of a unit

micro- one millionth of micro-

a unit (also organism
means
extremely
small)
Suffixes: common suffixes for nouns & adjectives
Suffixes enable root words to change in different ways in order to form different
classes of word. For example, the root word ‘create’ can be modified
to creation (noun), creative (adjective) and creatively (adverb). Different classes of
words (nouns, verbs, adjectives) have their own common suffixes.

Common Example Common Example

suffixes noun
for suffixes
adjectives

-able / - adorable -ance / - endurance

ible ence
terrible conscience

-ant / -ent pleasant -ant contestant

confident

-ate passionate -dom freedom

-ful wonderful -ee employee

-ian Canadian -er / -or painter

conductor

-ic energetic -ery scenery

-ical methodical -hood neighbourhood

-ish selfish -ion election

-ive positive -ism socialism

-less pointless -ist novelist

-like business- -ity regularity

like

-ous adventurous -ment improvement

-some wearisome -ness sadness

-y noisy -ship friendship

-ure closure

Adverb Examples Verb Examples

suffixes suffixes

-ly quickly -en eaten

-wise clockwise -ise energise

-ward northward -ate alternate

Spelling rules & word families

1. Suffix spelling rules

The following rules apply to British English spelling. See also the section below on
American spelling rules.

For most short words ending in a single consonant, double the consonant when adding
a suffix, e.g. big/bigger. For longer words ending in ‘-l’ you should also double the
consonant, e.g. travel becomes traveller. Many verbs also follow this rule, for
example modelling.

For words ending in ‘-e’, the final ‘e’ is often dropped when a suffix beginning with a
vowel is added. Examples include: evolve/evolving and irritate/irritable. The ‘e’ is
sometimes kept to help with pronunciation, for example, in the word knowledgeable.

This same spelling pattern occurs in manageable and changeable. Some words have
two alternative spellings. For example loveable and lovable are both correct spellings.
Words ending in ee, oe and ye do not drop the ‘e’ when a suffix is added. Examples
include seeing and canoeing.

2. American spelling

There are some differences in spelling between British and American English. Here
are some common differences:

American British English

English
analyze analyse

traveled/traveling travelled/travelling

defense defence

civilization civilisation

center centre

humor humour

dialog dialogue

3. Word families

“Word families” are groups of words where different suffixes have been added to the
same root word. It would be very difficult to learn all the word families in English, but
knowing a few common word families can help you to learn spelling patterns and
common prefix and suffix meanings.

English examinations often require students to ‘transform’ words by adding the

appropriate prefixes and suffixes. So, familiarising yourself with prefixes and suffixes
could help with your exam skills as well as your vocabulary.
The following word families demonstrate how root words can be transformed to
create different forms with similar meanings.

Verb Noun Adjective Adverb

succeed success successful successfully

specialise specialism special especially

attract attraction attractive attractively

surprise surprise surprising surprisingly

4. Hyphen or no hyphen?

In most cases where a prefix is added to a word, no hyphen (-) is used. However,
hyphens can be used in some situations to make the meaning of the word clearer and
to avoid confusion.

One example is where the prefix ends with the same letter that the word starts with.
For example co– and owner. Adding co- without a hyphen could change the
pronunciation of the word and make the meaning difficult to understand. For this
reason co-owner is clearer than coowner.

Confusion can also occur where the word has two meanings. For example, a remark is
a spoken comment, but re-mark means to mark/assess an exam again. Using a hyphen
in this situation can avoid confusion.
A hyphen is often used with a prefix before a proper noun. Examples include: un-
American and anti-British. Finally, the prefixes ex-, self- and co- are often used with a
hyphen.

Prefixes & suffixes – examples

The list below summarises commonly used prefixes and suffixes in English. Example
sentences are also provided to help you understand them in context.

Prefixes examples

Anti-

antiseptic, anti-climax, antifreeze, antibiotic, antibody, anticlockwise

The atheletes ran around the track in an anticlockwise direction.
Many infections can be treated with antibiotics.

Counter-

counterpart, counterproductive, counterclaim

Putting too much pressure on young people can be counterproductive.

De-

deteriorate, derail, deactivate

The discussion deteriorated into an argument.

Dis-
dissatisfied, disappointed, disloyal, disobedient, disruptive, distrust
Jane never did what she was told. She was a disobedient child.
Rob was disappointed when he didn’t get the job.

Ex-

ex-wife, ex-teacher, ex-husband, ex-policeman

I still meet my ex-husband sometimes.
No, he wasn’t a teacher before. He’s an ex-policeman.

Extra-

extracurricular, extracellular, extraordinary

Her journey across the world was extraordinary.

Fore-

forewarn, foreground, forefathers, forecast, forego, forefront

This robotics company is at the forefront of modern technology.
The weather forecast for tomorrow is good.

Homo-

homogeneous, homophone, homosexual

Air is a homogeneous mixture.

Hyper-

hypersensitive, hyperlink, hyper-intelligent

A hyperlink connects one page to another.

Il-
illogical, illegal, illiterate, illuminate
Driving under the age of 17 is illegal in the UK.

Im-

immature, immaterial, immediately, immense, impersonal, impatient

You need to speak to the headteacher immediately.
Jamie looks sensible but he is actually quite immature.

In-

inevitable, incorrect, indifferent, indoors, ineffective, insincere

The examiner told me that some of my answers were incorrect.
Unfortunately, the cancer medicine was ineffective.

Inter-

international, intermediate, interpreter, interval, interfere, interest

My husband is working for an international company.
Maggie decided not to be a teacher; she is training to be an interpreter.

Ir-

irresponsible, irrational, irregular, irrelevant

Irregular verbs are difficult to learn!

Mal-

malpractice, malfunction, malnourished, malnutrition

I couldn’t complete the work because laser cutting machine malfunctioned.

Mid-
mid-July, midweek, mid-September, mid-sentence
I’m going to go out for a walk midweek.

Mis-

misunderstanding, mistrust, misuse, misspell, misrepresent, mispronounce

We didn’t fall out – it was just a misunderstanding.
The newspaper report misrepresented what I said!

Mono-

monorail, monotone, monochrome, monotonous, monosyllable, monopoly

That song has a boring tune; it’s monotonous.
A monorail has just one rail.

Neo-

neonatal, neoclassical, Neolithic

Yes, that museum is a neoclassical building.

Non- (note the prefix ‘non’ is usually used with a hyphen)

non-event, non-stop, non-smoking, non-alcoholic, non-member, non-resident

Sorry, this is a non-smoking building.
Non-residents are welcome in the restaurant.

Omni-

omnivore, omnipresent
An omnivore eats plants and animals.

Out-
outbreak, outgrow, outrun, outweigh, outbuilding, outspoken
He has outgrown all his baby clothes now.
Overall, the advantages outweigh the disadvantages.

Pre-

pre-war, pre-recorded, pre-pay, pre-set, pre-tax

She has a pre-recorded message on her phone.
You can pre-pay for your dental treatment.

Re-

replay, rerun, re-record, re-write

She had to re-write her essay to get a higher grade.
The football match last weekend was a replay.

Semi-

semicircle, semi-darkness, semi-detached, semi-literate, semi-professional

They left the restaurant in semi-darkness.
Mary is a great tennis player. She is semi-professional.

Sub-

subtropical, subsection, sub-zero, subnormal, subsoil

They had to cope with sub-zero temperatures.
Much of North Africa has a sub-tropical climate.

Super-

supermarket, supernatural, super-tanker, super-rich, supervisor

Supermarkets have a greater range of products than local shops.
John has been my supervisor for the past year.
Un-

unbelievable, unkind, unusual, unable, uncomfortable, uncanny

My new shoes are uncomfortable.
That film was unbelievable!

Under-

underplay, underwear, under-valued, under-rated, under-paid

He was an under-rated actor.
I’m not selling that vase. I think it has been under-valued.

Suffixes examples

-able

unbelievable, comfortable, washable, likeable, knowledgeable, fashionable (adjectives)

Do you prefer fashionable or comfortable clothes?
Professor Smith is very knowledgeable about insects.

-ance

performance, allowance, disturbance, appearance, brilliance (nouns)

Tom is given a weekly allowance by his parents.
The police were called to a disturbance in the street.

-ant

pleasant, brilliant, disinfectant, servant, assistant, (nouns and adjectives)

We had a brilliant holiday in Spain.
He decided to employ an assistant.

-ate
activate, affectionate, regulate, electorate, mediate, fortunate (nouns and adjectives)
You can activate your PayPal account now.
His dog is well-behaved and affectionate.

-dom

freedom, kingdom, boredom (nouns)

Freedom of choice means you have more opportunity to make decisions.

-ence

presence, existence, occurrence, permanence (nouns)

I could feel a ghostly presence when I went into the room!
Most people dispute the existence of ghosts.

-ent

different, resident, president (nouns and adjectives)

She has been a resident in this area for many years.

-er

carpenter, painter, hotter, bigger, diner, photographer (nouns and adjectives)

He is training to be a painter.
She would love to be a photographer.

-ery

bravery, machinery, bakery, flattery (nouns)

You can buy bread at the bakery.
The fireman was praised for his bravery.

-ful
beautiful, wonderful, colourful, eventful, restful, careful (adjectives)
It was an eventful day.
I hope you have a wonderful holiday!

-hood

neighbourhood, childhood, priesthood (nouns)

This is a very quiet neighbourhood.

-ible

terrible, horrible, visible, edible (adjectives)

Is that plant edible?
Our house is visible from the road.

-ic

photographic, alcoholic, supersonic (adjectives)

SpaceX is planning to launch a supersonic plane.
The local pub serves alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks.

-ical

historical, identical, satirical (adjectives)

John and Steve are identical twins.

-ion

decision, promotion, completion, election, exhaustion, deception (nouns)

The results of the election will be announced tomorrow.
She made an important decision today.

-ism
Cubism, socialism, criticism, heroism (nouns)
Cubism was one of the most influential art movements of the twentieth century.

-ish

childish, selfish, reddish, snobbish, Spanish, English (adjectives)

She looks grown-up but she is a little childish.
He has reddish hair.

-ist

socialist, novelist, guitarist, pianist, sexist, racist

She is a brilliant guitarist.
Sexism and racism are not to be tolerated in schools.

-ity

creativity, popularity, regularity, sexuality, eventuality, familiarity (nouns)

Her strength is her creativity.
Jenny carefully planned her trip to allow for any eventuality.

-ive

creative, positive, negative, transitive, explosive, detective (nouns and adjectives)

My brother-in-law is working as a private detective.
My mother is a creative person.

-less

careless, ruthless, pointless, meaningless, tasteless, powerless (adjectives)

It was a careless mistake.
Sorry, but this soup is tasteless.

-ment
permanent, government, employment, arrangement, management (nouns and
adjectives)
She is really pleased that she now has a permanent job.
Have you got any management experience?

–ness

shyness, loudness, sadness, loneliness (nouns)

He had to try hard to overcome his shyness.
Loneliness can be a big problem for older people.

-ous

adventurous, pretentious, cautious, dangerous, spacious (adjectives)

Her new flat is very spacious.
She is really adventurous. She often travels to faraway places.

-ship

friendship, hardship, fellowship, premiership, citizenship (nouns)

He has kept his friendship with Tony going for 20 years.
They suffered a lot of hardship when they first arrived in the country.

-some

troublesome, bothersome, loathsome (adjectives)

Wasps can be troublesome in late summer.

-ure

closure, fracture, measure, exposure, failure (nouns)

He said the marriage broke down due to a failure to communicate openly.
She was disappointed about the closure of the business.
-y

funny, scary, wintry, feathery, scaly, messy

My room is always messy!
It was a beautiful wintry scene on Christmas Day.