An Important Guide to Prefixes and Suffixes with Examples

Prefixes and suffixes are usually added to words to make new words. So, what is a prefix and what is a suffix? This post is an essential guide to prefixes and suffixes in English.

Guide to Prefixes and Suffixes in English

Learning the different prefixes and suffixes and their meanings has some benefits. First, they can help you remember the meaning of words so easily. Second, they can enable you to expand your vocabulary and work out the meaning of unfamiliar words.

Examples of Prefixes with Meaning

A prefix is a letter or a group of letters that can be added to the beginning of a word to make a new word. For example, if you add the prefix dis- to the beginning of the word ‘appear’, you get the word ‘disappear’.

The table below shows various examples of prefixes and their meaning and examples for each prefix.

Prefixes	Meaning	Examples
a-	not/ without	atheist, asexually, atypical, etc.
en-	make/ cause to be/ put into	enlarge, enrich, encircle, etc.
de-	remove	demotivate, debone, defrost, etc.
dis-	not/ the opposite of	disappear, disapprove, disconnect, discontinue, disorganized, disloyal, etc.
im-	not/ the opposite of	impossible, imperfect, immobile, immature, impersonal, immaterial, etc.
in-	not/ the opposite of	incapable, incorrect, incomplete, inedible, ineffective, etc.
ir-	not/ the opposite of	irrelevant, irrelevance, irregular, etc.
il-	not/ the opposite of	illegal, illegitimate, illogical, illegible, illiberal, illiteracy, etc.
un-	not/the opposite of	unhappy, unfair, unable, unreliable, uneducated, uninteresting, etc.
non-	not	nonfiction, nonviolent, nonstop, nonsense, nonthreatening, nonrefundable, etc.
re-	again/ back	redo, rewind, rebuild, reunite, reevaluate, rewrite, recycle, etc.
pre-	before in time/ prior to	prehistoric, preview, prepay, prearrange, prelude, precondition, etc.
post-	after	postwar, postgraduate, post-lunch, etc.
under-	below/ beneath	underfed, undergraduate, undercover, undergrowth, undercooked, underripe, etc.
over-	excessively/ too much	overcook, overpower, oversleep, overestimate, overload, overcharge, etc.
up-	increase/ higher	upgrade, uplift, update, uproot, upswing, upturn, etc.
mis-	wrongly/ incorrectly/badly	misunderstand, misbehave, misinterpret, misplace, misjudge, mislead, etc.
multi-	many	multilingual, multitask, multinational, multimedia, multicolored, multifunctional, etc.
semi-	half/ partly	semicircle, semiannual, semicolon, semiconscious, semifinal, semitransparent, etc.
sub-	under/ bellow	submarine, substandard, submerge, subconscious, subculture, subcommittee, subskill, etc.
super-	beyond/ above	supernatural, superstar, superpower, superhuman, superimpose, supersonic, etc.
uni-	one/ single	unicorn, unify, unique, unilateral, unisex, unify, etc.
anti-	against/ opposite	anti-inflammatory, antibiotic, antifungal, anti-establishment, anti-aging, antiseptic, anti-war, etc.
auto-	self/ automatic	autobiography, automobile, autofocus, autograph, autonomous, autoimmune, etc.
bi-	two/ twice/ once every two	bilingual, bicycle, biweekly, bipedal, biannual, bimonthly, etc.
di-	double	dioxide, etc.
tri-	three	tripod, tricycle, triangle, tri-focused, tri-band, triacid, etc.
co-	together/ with	cooperate, coexist, coauthor, coworker, cohabitate, co-owner, etc.
en- / (em-)	to cause to	enable, encourage, enrich, engage, enliven, empower, embolden, etc.
extra-	beyond/ additional	extraordinary, extracurricular, extraterrestrial, extraordinary, extrapolate, extrasensory, etc.
ex-	former	ex-husband, ex-president, ex-general, ex-boyfriend, ex-employee, ex-member, ex-student, etc.
inter-	between/ among	interact, international, interfere, intermediate, interconnect, intercontinental, etc.
self-	by onself	self-taught, self-control, self-addressed. etc.
neo-	new	neocolonialism, neo-fascist, neo-Georgian, etc.
hyper-	extremely/ above/ over /more than normal	hyper-critical, hypertension, hyper-sensitive, etc.
fore-	before / in the front of	foretell, foreword, foreground, etc.

Examples of Suffixes with Meaning

A suffix refers to a letter or a group of letters that can be added to the end of a word to form new words.

The following table displays examples of suffixes and their meaning. Specifically, the most common suffixes that are used to form nouns, adjectives, and adverbs, along with their meanings and examples for each suffix.

Suffixes	Meaning	Examples
-s/-es	1. The endings that verbs take in the present tense in the third person singular (he, she, it). 2. The endings that some nouns take to form the plural.	1. speaks, writes, watches, washes, fixes, goes, etc. 2. animals, cats, dogs, tables, desks, watches, etc.
-ing	Present participle verbs/ gerunds/ adjectives	running, swimming, dancing, interesting, exciting, alarming, frightening, etc.
-ed	Past tense of some regular verbs/ adjectives	walked, jumped, excited, interested, bored, scared, frightened, relaxed, etc.
-er/-or	person or thing that performs an action	teacher, actor, writer, doctor, actor, singer
-tion/ -sion	nouns indicating an action, process, or state	completion, decision, discussion, expression, admission, transition, etc.
-ment	nouns indicating a state or condition	movement, development, excitement, improvement, enjoyment, achievement, etc.
-ly	adverbs	quickly, beautifully, happily, loudly, easily, carefully, etc.
-ful	full of/ adjectives indicating fullness or abundance	beautiful, careful, joyful, grateful, delightful, successful, etc.
-less	having no/ without	hopeless, useless, fearless, endless, homeless, heartless, careless, etc.
-able/-ible	can be done/ capable of being/ able to	visible, incredible, reliable, enjoyable, accessible, comfortable, etc.
-ist	nouns indicating a person who practices or believes in sth	scientist, dentist, artist, pianist, economist, pharmacist, cyclist, atheist, etc.
-ity/-ty	nouns indicating a state, condition, or quality	simplicity, diversity, integrity, curiosity, loyalty, clarity, creativity, etc.
-ship	nouns indicating a position, condition, or state	friendship, leadership, citizenship, ownership, companionship, partnership, etc.
-hood	nouns indicating a state, condition, or quality	neighborhood, falsehood, brotherhood, motherhood, adulthood, parenthood, childhood, etc.
-ward/-wards	adverbs indicating direction or tendency	eastward, forward, homeward, backward, upward, afterwards, onward, etc.
-al/ -ic/ -ical	having the quality of	— national, universal, international, natural, traditional, etc. — historic, economic, symbolic, romantic, optimistic, diplomatic, etc. — economical, historical, ecological, technological, etc.
-ish	like	childish, boyish, girlish, foolish, etc.
-ee	with passive meaning	employee, attendee, absentee, etc.
-proof	safe against	waterproof, windproof, rainproof, childproof, etc.
-ate	(in adjectives) full of or having the quality of	passionate, articulate, etc.

Verb forming Suffixes Examples

Here is a table that includes some common verb-forming suffixes, their meanings, and examples for each suffix.

Suffixes	Meaning	Examples
-en/ -n	to cause to become or make more	deepen, broaden, strengthen, lengthen, worsen, fasten, soften, harden, brighten, tighten, weaken, widen, etc.
-en	(in adjectives) made of/ looking like	wooden, woollen (Brit. E), woolen (Am.E), golden, drunken, brazen, etc.
-ize/-ise	to act, become or make	Americanize, privatize, organize, analyze, apologize, prioritize, recognize, emphasize, etc.
-ify	to make or cause to become	solidify, diversify, clarify, amplify, magnify, justify, beautify, simplify, etc.
-ate	to give or provide with	activate, communicate, educate, accelerate, irrigate, collaborate, hyphenate, regulate, illustrate, demonstrate, generate, etc.

Remember these tips when you use suffixes:

The addition of a suffix usually alters the word’s class.
The addition of a suffix may result in the word maintaining its class while altering the meaning of the new word.
When you add a suffix, the spelling of the word changes.