Prefixes & Suffixes
⏱ 9 min✏️ Quiz at the end
What are Affixes?
An affix is a word part attached to a root word to create a new word with a different meaning or grammatical function.
- Prefix — added to the beginning of a root word: un + happy = unhappy
- Suffix — added to the end of a root word: hope + less = hopeless
- Root word — the base word that carries the core meaning
Understanding affixes is one of the most powerful vocabulary-building skills. If you recognise common prefixes and suffixes, you can decode thousands of unfamiliar words — even ones you have never seen before.
Key Terms
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Affix | A word part added to a root (prefix or suffix) |
| Prefix | An affix added to the beginning of a word |
| Suffix | An affix added to the end of a word |
| Root word | The base word to which affixes are attached |
| Morpheme | The smallest unit of meaning in a word |
Common Prefixes
| Prefix | Meaning | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| un- | not / opposite of | unhappy, unlock, unfair |
| re- | again | rewrite, replay, rebuild |
| pre- | before | preview, prehistoric, precaution |
| mis- | wrongly or badly | misunderstand, misspell, mislead |
| in- / im- / ir- | not | incorrect, impossible, irregular |
| dis- | not / reverse | disagree, disconnect, disappear |
| inter- | between / among | international, interact, intervene |
| sub- | under / below | submarine, subtitle, substandard |
| over- | too much | overeat, overreact, overwhelm |
| under- | too little / below | underestimate, undermine, underline |
| super- | above / beyond | supermarket, superhero, supernatural |
| anti- | against | antibiotic, antisocial, anticlockwise |
| auto- | self | autobiography, automatic, autograph |
| bi- | two | bicycle, bilingual, biweekly |
| trans- | across | transport, translate, transfer |
Common Suffixes
Noun Suffixes
| Suffix | Meaning | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| -ness | state or quality of | happiness, darkness, kindness |
| -tion / -sion | action or process | education, decision, expression |
| -er / -or | one who does | teacher, actor, writer |
| -ment | result or state of | enjoyment, government, agreement |
| -ity | quality or state | equality, creativity, reality |
| -ism | doctrine or practice | capitalism, realism, journalism |
| -ist | one who practises | artist, scientist, journalist |
Adjective Suffixes
| Suffix | Meaning | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| -ful | full of | careful, hopeful, peaceful |
| -less | without | careless, hopeless, harmless |
| -able / -ible | can be done | readable, flexible, breakable |
| -ous | having the quality of | dangerous, famous, gorgeous |
| -ic | relating to | scientific, historic, academic |
| -al | relating to | musical, logical, natural |
Adverb and Verb Suffixes
| Suffix | Use | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| -ly | forms adverbs from adjectives | quickly, happily, carefully |
| -ise / -ize | forms verbs | organise, realise, minimise |
| -en | forms verbs from adjectives | darken, brighten, strengthen |
How Affixes Change Word Class
Affixes can transform one part of speech into another:
| Root (verb) | + Suffix | New word (noun) |
|---|---|---|
| educate | + -tion | education |
| enjoy | + -ment | enjoyment |
| create | + -ivity | creativity |
| Root (adjective) | + Suffix | New word (noun) |
|---|---|---|
| happy | + -ness | happiness |
| equal | + -ity | equality |
| Root (noun/adjective) | + Suffix | New word (adverb) |
|---|---|---|
| quick | + -ly | quickly |
| careful | + -ly | carefully |
Decoding Unfamiliar Words
When you encounter an unfamiliar word, break it into parts:
Example: irresponsible
- ir- = not
- responsible = accountable, trustworthy
- -ible = able to be done
- Meaning: not capable of being responsible; lacking accountability
Example: autobiography
- auto- = self
- bio = life
- -graphy = writing
- Meaning: writing about one's own life
Spelling Rules When Adding Affixes
- Drop the final 'e' before a suffix beginning with a vowel: hope → hoping, love → lovable
- Keep the final 'e' before a suffix beginning with a consonant: hope → hopeful, care → careless
- Double the final consonant in short words ending in consonant-vowel-consonant before adding a vowel suffix: run → running, sit → sitting
- Change 'y' to 'i' before most suffixes: happy → happiness, carry → carried
Common Mistakes
- Confusing similar prefixes: un- and in- both mean "not," but you cannot swap them freely: it is unhappy (not inhappy) and incorrect (not uncorrect). The correct prefix must be learned for each word.
- Spelling errors when adding suffixes: Remember the spelling rules above, especially the double-consonant rule (running, not runing).
- Guessing root meaning incorrectly: The prefix dis- in discover does not mean "not" — it means "to uncover or reveal." Not every word that looks like it has a prefix actually does.
Tips and Tricks
- Learn prefixes in meaning groups: all the "not" prefixes together (un-, in-, im-, ir-, dis-), all the "again" prefixes together.
- When you learn a new word, immediately identify its root, prefix, and suffix to build your understanding.
- Create word webs: start with a root (create) and map out all the related words (creator, creation, creative, creativity, recreate, uncreative).
- Use a dictionary to check which prefix is correct for a specific word — do not assume they are interchangeable.
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