Affixes are small groups of letters attached to a word to change its meaning. They are very useful to know, whether it is for academic writing or just general language rules, as you will encounter them in your everyday life. Prefixes are a subgroup of affixes, which only stand at the beginning of a word. The following article will dive into this topic and give you a detailed list of all of them.
Inhaltsverzeichnis
Prefix in a nutshell
Prefixes are small particles placed at the beginning of a word to change its meaning.
Definition: Prefix
Prefixes are affixes added to the beginning of a word to alter its meaning or form a new word. They belong to the group of morphemes, particles that modify the meaning of a word. Their most common use is to express the opposite of something or to shorten a sentence. Root words are also prefixes, which stem from Latin or Greek, giving a word a special meaning.
Example
- She does not need to depend on anyone. → She is independent.
- The product was not continued. → The product was discontinued.
Prefixes exist in countless other variations too. They can indicate the affiliation to something, the components the word is related to, or chemical structures.
Use of hyphens
There are no absolute rules about how to use hyphens with prefix particles and when not to. Most dictionaries will show you how the word is written correctly. However, there are a few general things to note, as the following examples will visualize.
- Use a hyphen after “all-,“ “self-“ and “ex-“ (former).
Examples
- All-knowing
- Self-confident
- Ex-partner
- Do not use a hyphen when the meaning of “ex-“ is “out of,” as well as with “extra-.”
Examples
- Export
- Exfoliate
- Extraordinary
- Use a hyphen with proper nouns, meaning with names, specific places, countries, etc. The only exception is “transatlantic” but there is no explanation for why this is the case.
Examples
- Trans-Siberian railway
- Pro-Democrat
- Anti-Europe
- Use a hyphen when there is a different meaning, especially with “re-.”
Examples
- Recover from something.
- Re-cover something. (To cover again)
- Use a hyphen when two identical vowels meet. Exceptions are some words with two “O’s” or “E’s” like “cooperate” or “preexistence.” If two different vowels meet, there is no need for a hyphen.
Examples
- Semi-instructed
- Re-evolving
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List
Below you will find a smaller list with the most common ones to know, as well as a full list of all English prefixes there are.
Most common prefixes
Listed here are the most common prefixes you will find in your everyday life, or which are important and interesting to know.
| Prefix | Meaning | Example |
| a- | not, without, towards | atypical |
| ab- | off, away, from | absence |
| ad- | towards, addition, increase | admission |
| ambi- | on both sides | ambivalent |
| auto- | self, by itself, motor vehicle | automobile |
| be- | forming verbs and adjectives | betray |
| bi- | two | bisexual |
| com- | joint, mutual | compound |
| contra- | against, contrary | contradicting |
| de- | verbs and their derivatives | deceive |
| dis- | negative variety | disinterested |
| en- | within, inside, forming verbs | enclose |
| ex- | former, past, out | external |
| for- | forming verbs and adjectives | forever |
| in- | not, without, into | inhibit |
| maxi- | very large, long | maximum |
| medio- | middle | mediocre |
| mis- | negative implication | misunderstood |
| omni- | all, everything | omnipotent |
| out- | external, away from | outside |
| over- | excessively, extra, above | overcome |
| per- | through, completely | permission |
| pre- | prior to, before, in front of | pretend |
| pro- | favour, forwards, before | protect |
| re- | back, again | return |
| sub- | lower level, secondary | subconscious |
| trans- | across, beyond, through | transatlantic |
| un- | negation, reversal | unorthodox |
| up- | up, higher, increased | update |
Complete list
This Excel sheet includes all existing prefixes in the English language. Most of them are very niche, specific, and not necessary to know, but it might still be intriguing to look at all the weird ones that exist out there. Especially for medical, chemistry, or biology students, this list holds a great variety of essential words to help you in your studies.
FAQs
A prefix is a small particle placed at the beginning of a word to alter its meaning.
The most common prefixes are “a-,” “in-,” “bi-,” “de-,” “un-,” or “re-.” For a more detailed list, please refer to the section above.
While a prefix is a particle attached to the beginning of a word, a suffix is added to the end of the word. Both are included as types of affixes, together with circumfixes and infixes.
