Prefixes

Prefixes are found at the beginning of a word; they are small but meaningful groups of letters that when added to the front or base of a word they contribute to the meaning of the word.

Knowing the meaning of prefixes will assist a child when encountering unknown words, it helps a child comprehend the meaning of word.

Most Common Prefixes

The following 20 prefixes are commonly used; representing approximately 97%.

Rank	Prefix	Meaning	Examples
1	un	not, opposite of	uneasy, unhappy & unheard
2	re	again, back	return, restore & reset
3	in, im, ir, ill	not, opposite of	incomplete, impossible, irregular & illegal
4	dis	not, opposite	discomfort, disconnect & discover
5	en, em	cause to	endanger, enlarge & enjoy
6	non	not, opposite of	nonprofit, nonliving & nonessential
7	in, im	in or into	indulge, inflame & impact
8	over	too much, above	overtime, overweight & overthrow
9	mis	wrongly	misfit, misspell & misstep
10	sub	under, lower	subway, submerge & subsoil
11	pre	before	predict, prehistoric & preface
12	inter	between, among	intervene, interactive & international
13	fore	before	forefront, foreman & foresee
14	de	opposite of, down	decrease, defrost & deform
15	trans	across	transatlantic, transfer & transport
16	super	above, beyond	supermarket, supernatural & supersonic
17	semi	half	semicolon, semifinal & semicircle
18	anti	against	antisocial, antidote & antibody
19	mid	middle	midway, midsummer & midwinter
20	under	too little, below	underclothes, undercooked & underdog

Source: Fry, E.B., Ph.D. & Kress, J.E., Ed.D. (2006). The Reading Teacher’s Book of Lists 5th Edition. San Francisco, CA: Jossey Bass.

Prefix Multi

The prefix, multi-, implies many, much or more than two. Words with the Prefix Multi- We created the list of words with the prefix multi- by referencing two dictionaries: Merriam-Webster Children's Dictionary and Merriam-Webster's Intermediate Dictionary. We limited these words to those most

2 Comments

Prefix Mono-

The prefix, mono- and mon-, implies one, single or alone. Words with the Prefix Mono- and Mon- We created the list of words with the prefix mono- and mon- by referencing two dictionaries: Merriam-Webster Children's Dictionary and Merriam-Webster's Intermediate Dictionary. We limited these

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Prefix Bio

The prefix, bio-, implies of or related to life or living organisms. Words with the Prefix Bio- We created the list of words with the prefix bio- by referencing two dictionaries: Merriam-Webster Children's Dictionary and Merriam-Webster's Intermediate Dictionary. We limited the bio- words to

Prefix Under-

The prefix, under- , implies too little; below. Words with the Prefix Under- Word Definition underarmunder the arm or in the armpit underbrushshrubs and small trees growing among large trees underclothesunderwear; clothes worn under outer clothes undercookednot cooked

Numbers Prefixes

Prefixes are small but meaningful groups of letters that when added to the beginning of a word contributes to its meaning. Numbers prefixes tell you how many there are of a particular thing. Numbers Prefix The list below contains prefixes expressing number.

2 Comments

Prefix Dys-

The prefix, dys-, indicates abnormal, impaired, difficult or bad. Words with the Prefix Dys- Word Definition dyscrasiaan abnormal bodily condition caused by poisons in the blood dysenterya disease marked especially by severe bloody diarrhea (adj. dysenteric) dysfunction not