Prefixes and suffixes are sets of letters that are added to the beginning or end of another word. They are not words in their own right and cannot stand on their own in a sentence: if they are printed on their own they have a hyphen before or after them.
Prefixes
A prefix is a group of letters placed before the root of a word. For example, the word “unhappy” consists of the prefix “un-” [which means “not”] combined with the root (or stem) word “happy”; the word “unhappy” means “not happy.”
A short list of prefixes:
| Prefix | Meaning | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| de- | from, down, away, reverse, opposite | decode, decrease |
| dis- | not, opposite, reverse, away | disagree, disappear |
| ex- | out of, away from, lacking, former | exhale, explosion |
| il- | not | illegal, illogical |
| im- | not, without | impossible, improper |
| in- | not, without | inaction, invisible |
| mis- | bad, wrong | mislead, misplace |
| non- | not | nonfiction, nonsense |
| pre- | before | prefix, prehistory |
| pro- | for, forward, before | proactive, profess, program |
| re- | again, back | react, reappear |
| un- | against, not, opposite | undo, unequal, unusual |
Suffixes
A suffix is a group of letters placed after the root of a word. For example, the word flavorless consists of the root word “flavor” combined with the suffix “-less” [which means “without”]; the word “flavorless” means “having no flavor.”
A short list of suffixes:
| Suffix | Meaning | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| -able | able to, having the quality of | comfortable, portable |
| -al | relating to | annual comical |
| -er | comparative | bigger, stronger |
| -est | superlative | strongest, tiniest |
| -ful | full of | beautiful, grateful |
| -ible | forming an adjective | reversible, terrible |
| -ily | forming an adverb | eerily, happily, lazily |
| -ing | denoting an action, a material, or a gerund | acting, showing |
| -less | without, not affected by | friendless, tireless |
| -ly | forming an adjective | clearly, hourly |
| -ness | denoting a state or condition | kindness, wilderness |
| -y | full of, denoting a condition, or a diminutive | glory, messy, victory |