Word parts

Prefixes list with meanings and examples

In short

This list has 38 prefixes with their meanings, such as dis- (not), re- (again) and un- (not). Each links to a page of example words, 729 in all, most shown as word sums.

A prefix sits in front of a base word or root. It changes the meaning but not the job the word does: kind and unkind both describe. Four prefixes, un-, re-, in- (not) and dis-, show up in far more words than the rest, so teach those first.

Some prefixes change their last letter to match the next sound. That is why in- becomes im- in impossible and il- in illegal, and why con- turns into com- in compress. Students who know this stop being puzzled by double letters such as the ll in illegal.

Teach a prefix with a base word the student already knows, and say the meaning out loud: "Re means again, so reread means read again." Then hand over three words and let the student explain them.

Prefixes and what they mean

Prefixes, their meanings, sample words and how many words each page lists
Part	Meaning	Origin	Sample words	Words
ad-also ac, af, ag, al, an, ap, ar, as, at	to, or toward	Latin	adverb, adverbs, admit, adjoin	20
anti-also ant	against	Greek	antonym, antonyms, antonymous, antipathy	19
bi-	two, or every two	Latin	bicycle, bicycles, biplane, biweekly	14
circum-	around	Latin	circumference, circumferences, circumstance, circumstances	11
co-	together, or with	Latin	coworker, coworkers, coauthor, copilot	13
con-also com, col, cor	with, or together	Latin	construct, construction, constructive, reconstruct	30
contra-also counter	against, or opposite	Latin	contradict, contradicts, contradicted, contradicting	14
de-	down, away, or remove	Latin	defrost, decode, debug, derail	30
dis-	not, the opposite of, or apart	Latin	dislike, disagree, disappear, dishonest	30
en-also em	to make, or to put into	Latin	enable, enlarge, enlarged, endanger	15
ex-also e	out	Latin	exclaim, explain, express, expression	30
fore-	before, or at the front	Anglo-Saxon	forecast, forehead, forearm, foresee	17
hyper-	over, or too much	Greek	hyperactive, hyperactivity, hyperlink, hyperlinks	10
in-also im, il, ir	not	Latin	inactive, incorrect, incomplete, inexpensive	30
in-also im	in, or into	Latin	import, inspect, inspector, inspection	30
inter-	between, or among	Latin	interact, interaction, international, interchangeable	18
intro-also intra	inward, or within	Latin	introduce, introduced, introduces, introducing	13
mal-	bad, or badly	Latin	malfunction, malfunctions, malfunctioned, malnutrition	14
mid-	middle	Anglo-Saxon	midnight, midday, midstream, midway	17
mis-	wrongly, or badly	Anglo-Saxon	misplace, misread, misuse, misprint	15
multi-	many	Latin	multicolored, multicultural, multimedia, multiplayer	14
non-	not	Latin	nonstop, nonsense, nonliving, nonfiction	13
out-	outside, or better than	Anglo-Saxon	outdoor, outdoors, outrun, outgrow	18
over-	too much, or above	Anglo-Saxon	overconfident, overflow, overcook, overcooked	15
post-	after	Latin	postwar, postgame, postseason, postdate	13
pre-	before	Latin	preview, preschool, predict, prediction	30
pro-	forward, or for	Latin	project, projector, product, production	30
re-	again, or back	Latin	retell, reread, refill, rebuild	30
semi-	half, or partly	Latin	semicircle, semicircles, semifinal, semifinals	12
sub-also sup, sus	under, or below	Latin	subway, submarine, subtitle, subtotal	26
super-	above, over, or more than usual	Latin	superfluous, superhero, superheroes, superstar	14
syn-also sym, syl	together, or with	Greek	synonym, synonyms, synonymous, synonymously	19
trans-	across, or from one place to another	Latin	transplant, transaction, transport, transportation	19
tri-	three	Latin	tricycle, triangle, triangles, tricolor	14
ultra-	beyond	Latin	ultraviolet, ultrasound, ultrasounds, ultramarine	11
un-	not, or the opposite of	Anglo-Saxon	unhappy, unlock, unkind, unsafe	30
under-	below, or too little	Anglo-Saxon	underground, underwater, underline, underpass	16
uni-	one	Latin	unicycle, uniform, uniforms, unicyclist	15

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