Prefixes and suffixes

What are prefixes and suffixes, as well as infixes? First off,  an affix is an element such as a prefix or suffix that attaches to another word. We attach affixes (prefixes, suffixes, and infixes) to words in order to create new words. So, just by knowing the most common prefixes and suffixes, you can increase your vocabulary without having to learn any new words! Let’s take a look at the chart below.

Remember, prefixes go at the beginning of a word and suffixes at the end of a word.

• What is an affix?
• What is a prefix?
• What is a suffix?

A quick example of prefixes and suffixes in action

Word	Affix (prefix or suffix)	New word	Example
Verb:  doubt.	–	–	I doubt you’ll be able to resolve the problem.
Noun: doubt.	–	–	There are still many doubts, I’m afraid.
–	Adjectival suffix: –ful.	Doubtful.	I’m doubtful about your plans.
–	Adverbial suffix: –ly.	Doubtfully.	He worked doubtfully.
–	Adjectival suffix meaning “without” or “not having”: –less.	Doubtless.	We’re doubtless because we have no idea.
–	Prefix meaning “negation”: –un.	Undoubted.	I am the undoubted champion of the world.
–	Prefix meaning “negation”: –un + adverbial suffix: –ly.	Undoubtedly.	Undoubtedly, you were right.

By just knowing prefixes and suffixes, you can increase your vocabulary fivefold! As can be seen from the chart above using the word “doubt” of which we have five new words: doubtful, doubtfully, doubtless, undoubted and undoubtedly.

List of common prefixes

ante-	before	antenatal, anteroom, antedate,
anti-	against, opposing	antibiotic, antidepressant, antidote, antifreeze
circum-	around	circumstance, circumvent, circumnavigate
co-	with, together	co-worker, co-pilot, co-operation, co-worker
de-	off, down, away from	devalue, defrost, derail, demotivate, deactivate
dis-	opposite of, against	disagree, disappear, disintegrate, disapprove
em-, en-	cause to, put into	embrace, encode, embed, enclose, engulf
epi-	upon, close to, after, central point	epicentre, episcope, epidermis
ex-	former, out of, no longer with	ex-president, ex-boyfriend, exterminate
extra-	More of, beyond	extracurricular, extraordinary, extra-terrestrial
fore-	before, beginning	forecast, forehead, foresee, foreword, foremost
homo-	same, two equal things	homosexual, homonuclear, homoplastic
hyper-	over, above, excess of	hyperactive, hyperventilate
il-, im-, in-, ir-	not, to negate, negative	impossible, illegal, irresponsible, indefinite
im-, in-	into, within	insert, import, inside
infra-	beneath, below	infrastructure, infrared, infrasonic, infraspecific
inter-, intra-	between	interact, intermediate, intergalactic, intranet
macro-	large, big version	macroeconomics, macromolecule
micro-	small, tiny, petite	microscope, microbiology, microfilm, microwave
mid-	middle, centre point	midfielder, midway, midsummer
mis-	wrongly, not correct	misinterpret, misfire, mistake, misunderstand
mono-	one, singular	monotone, monobrow, monolithic
non-	not, without	nonsense, nonentity, nondescript
omni-	all, every, all places	omnibus, omnivore, omnipotent
para-	beside	parachute, paramedic, paradox
post-	after,	post-mortem, postpone, post-natal
pre-	before, beginning	prefix, predetermine, pre-intermediate
re-	again, repeat	return, rediscover, reiterate, reunite
semi-	half,	semicircle, semi-final, semiconscious
sub-	under, below	submerge, submarine, sub-category, subtitle
super-	above, over, above	superfood, superstar, supernatural, superimpose
therm-	heat, temperature	thermometer, thermostat, thermodynamic
trans-	across, beyond	transport, transnational, transatlantic
tri-	three	triangle, tripod, tricycle
un-	not, to negate, negative	unfinished, unfriendly, undone, unknown
uni-	one,	unicycle, universal, unilateral, unanimous

List of common suffixes

-acy	state or quality	democracy, accuracy, lunacy, fallacy
-al	the action or process of	remedial, denial, trial, criminal,
-ance, -ence	state or quality of	nuisance, ambience, tolerance
-dom	place or state of being	freedom, stardom, boredom
-er, -or	person or object that does a specified action	reader, creator, interpreter, inventor, collaborator, teacher, terminator
-ism	doctrine, belief, theory	Judaism, scepticism, escapism, cynicism
-ist	person or object that does a specified action	Geologist, protagonist, sexist, scientist, theorist, communist, physicist
-ity, -ty	quality of	extremity, validity, enormity, absurdity
-ment	condition, state of being	enchantment, argument, agreement
-ness	state of being, condition	heaviness, highness, sickness, staleness
-ship	position held	friendship, hardship, internship,
-sion, -tion	state of being	position, promotion, cohesion, creation
VERB SUFFIXES
-ate	become	mediate, collaborate, create, mandate
-en	become	sharpen, strengthen, loosen
-ify, -fy	make or become	justify, simplify, magnify, satisfy, clarify
-ise, -ize	become	publicise, synthesise, hypnotise
ADJECTIVE SUFFIXES
-able, -ible	capable of being	edible, fallible, incredible, audible, comprehensible, doable
-al	having the form or character of	fiscal, thermal, herbal, colonial,
-esque	in a manner of or resembling	picturesque, burlesque, grotesque
-ful	notable for, possess a skill	handful, playful, hopeful, skillful,
-ic, -ical	having the form or character of	psychological, hypocritical, methodical, nonsensical, musical
-ious, -ous	characterised by	pious, jealous, religious, ridiculous, malicious
-ish	having the quality of, being slightly of something	squeamish, sheepish, childish,
-ive	having the nature of	inquisitive, informative, attentive, native
-less	without, zero	meaningless, hopeless, homeless
-y	characterised by	dainty, beauty, airy, jealousy, hardly, dandy
ADVERB SUFFIXES
-ly	related to or quality	softly, slowly, happily, crazily, madly, hopefully
-ward, -wards	direction, movement	towards, afterwards, backwards, inward, downward
-wise	in relation to	otherwise, likewise, clockwise

How prefixes and suffixes work

‘Affix’ is basically the umbrella term for all prefixes, suffixes, and infixes, (infixes are rare in English but very common in Spanish).

One really needs to understand prefixes (attached to the beginning of the word) and suffixes (attached to the end of the word) in order to speak English really well.

Correct implementation of prefixes and suffixes will allow you to completely alter or change the meaning of a word with ease and without having to change the whole sentence.

Moreover, there are not too many prefixes and suffixes, however, the problem resides in the fact that there is no rule to their correct implementation.

For example, the prefix ‘im’ negates ‘polite’ and not ‘in’, therefore, the correct negation for the adjective ‘polite’ is ‘impolite’.

The prefix ‘im’, just like all other prefixes, must be learned by heart or by memory, but nevertheless, it’s really not difficult to remember! Below, I’ll outline correct affix usage (prefixes and suffixes) with examples.

Remember, affixes alter: verbs, adjectives, and adverbs.

See also