W r i t i n g & L a n g u a g e D e v e l o p m e n t C e n t e r

Prefixes for English Language Learners

Adding prefixes to the base, or root, of existing words to form new words is common in English. The prefix is added in front
of the base word (pre- means before) to create a new word with a different meaning. For example, if you add the prefix dis-
to the word like, you get dislike—the opposite of like. Prefixes usually do not change the part of speech of the base word,
so, for example, adding a prefix to a verb results in a new verb, while adding a prefix to an adjective results in a new
adjective. Prefixes are not words in their own right and cannot stand on their own in a sentence (unless you are writing
about prefixes!); if they are printed on their own, they have a hyphen attached. Note: even though the lists below are sorted
by part of speech, prefixes can attach to almost any word (for example, you’ll see co- listed below as a prefix for verbs,
adjectives, and nouns. Some words using prefixes are hyphenated and some are not, and some that used to be
hyphenated no longer are. Check a dictionary to be sure.

Prefixes with verbs

Adding a prefix to a verb usually results in a new verb. For example, adding dis- to the verb appear results in the verb
disappear. The most common prefixes used to form new verbs in English are re-, dis-, over-, un-, mis-, out-.

Prefix Meaning Examples

be- make or cause befriend, belittle
co- together coexist, cooperate, co-own
de- do the opposite of devalue, deselect
dis- reverses the meaning disappear, disallow, disarm, disconnect, discontinue
fore- earlier, before foreclose, foresee
inter- between interact, intermix, interface
mis- badly or wrongly mislead, misinform, misidentify, misunderstand
out- more or better than others outperform, outbid, outdo
over- too much overbook, oversleep, overwork
pre- before pre-expose, prejudge, prepay
re- again or back restructure, revisit, reappear, rebuild, refinance
sub- under or below subcontract, subdivide, subsume
trans- across or over transform, transcribe, transplant
un- reverses the meaning unbend, uncouple, unfasten
under- not enough underfund, underperform, undervalue

Prefixes with adjectives

Adding a prefix to an adjective usually gives you a new adjective. To illustrate, adding the prefix un- to the adjective
comfortable gives you an adjective with an altered meaning: uncomfortable. Common prefixes for adjectives include
negative prefixes un-, in-, and non-.

Prefix Meaning Examples

bi- two bilingual, bicultural, biweekly
co- together codependent, cooperative
dis- not/reverses the meaning disloyal, dissimilar
im-, in-, ir-, il- not/reverses the meaning impatient, inconvenient, irreplaceable, illegal
mal- bad maladjusted, malformed, malfunction
mini- small miniature, minimum, minibike
mis- wrong misunderstood, misanthropic
 non- not/reverses the meaning nonfiction, nonpolitical, non-neutral
over- too much overexcited, overtired, overworked
pre- before prefabricated, prehistoric, premarital, prepaid
sub- under/below subconscious, subpar
un- not/reverses the meaning unfortunate, uncomfortable, unjust, unlucky
under- below, too little unpaid, undervalued, underachieving

Prefixes with nouns

Adding a prefix to a noun usually results in a new noun. For instance, if you add auto- to the noun biography, you get the
new noun autobiography. The most common prefixes used to form new nouns in English are co- and sub-.

Prefix Meaning Examples

anti- against anticlimax, antithesis
auto- self autobiography, automobile
bi- two bilingualism, biculturalism
co- together cofounder, co-owner, codependent
counter- against counterargument, counterexample, counterproposal
dis- the opposite of discomfort, dislike, disinformation
e- electronic email, e-book, e-commerce, e-tailer
ex- former ex-chairman, ex-spouse, ex-boyfriend
hyper- extreme hyperinflation, hyperventilation
in- the opposite of inattention, incoherence, incompatibility
in- inside inpatient, input
inter- between interaction, interference
kilo- thousand kilobyte, kilogram, kilowatt
mal- bad malfunction, maltreatment, malnutrition
mega- million megabyte, megawatt, megaton
mini- small miniature, minimum, minibike, minivan
mis- wrong misconduct, misdeed, misunderstanding
mono- one monosyllable, monograph, monogamy
neo- new neocolonialism, neoimpressionism
out- separate outbuilding, outpatient
poly- many polyglot, polygamy, polytheist
pre- before prejudice
pseudo- false pseudo-expert, pseudonym
re- again reorganization, reassessment, reexamination
semi- half semicircle, semidarkness
sub- below subset, subdivision
super- more than, above superimposition, superpower
sur- over and above surtax, surcharge
tele- distant telecommunications, television
tri- three tricycle, tripod
ultra- beyond ultrasound
under- below, too little underpayment, underdevelopment, undergraduate
vice- deputy vice-president, vice chancellor

Contributed by Kelly Cunningham

This Yuba College Writing & Language Development Center Tip Sheet is made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-
NonCommercial 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0