Sometimes, you can create a new word by jamming two terms together. And although we’re not as good at this as the Germans, English does have an exciting array of prefixes to choose from.
‘But what are prefixes?’, we hear you ask, ‘And how do they work?’ Let us explain.
A prefix goes at the start of a word to change its meaning. The ‘pre-’ in ‘prefix’, for example, is itself a prefix meaning ‘before’. We can break the word down like this:
Pre (i.e. before) + fix (i.e. attach) = Prefix
Thus, a prefix is a term that we fix to the start of a word to create a new one!
How a word is written is important. Most prefixes simply go before the word you’re adjusting, like in ‘prefix’, but some are hyphenated instead. This is usually when a prefix ends in the same letter as the following word (e.g. ‘re-entry’) or with certain uses of prefixes (e.g. when ‘ex-’ means ‘former’)
Keep in mind, too, that some prefixes have more than one meaning. For instance, although the prefix ‘in-’ usually indicates a negation (e.g. ‘insecure’ as the opposite of ‘secure’), this is not the case in ‘inflammable’.
With this word, the ‘-in’ indicates movement towards. Something ‘inflammable’ may therefore burst ‘into’ flame, so it actually means the same as ‘flammable’. Other words with this alternative ‘in-’ prefix include ‘insert’ and ‘infiltrate’.
Similarly, you can’t simply add any prefix to any word. Adding ‘sub’ to ‘chimney’, for instance, does not mean that ‘sub-chimney’ is automatically a word!
You should therefore check the meaning of any unfamiliar term you plan to use, even if it begins with a familiar prefix. Doing this will help you avoid errors in your written work.
We won’t attempt to list every English prefix here, but you will find some of the most common ones in the table below (along with what they usually mean).
Prefix
Meaning
Example
Anti-
Against or opposed to
Antiseptic, antifascist
Auto-
Self or same
Automatic, autobiography
De-
Reverse or reduce
Devalue, decode
Dis-
Reverse or negate
Disown, disappear
En-
Cause or put in
Enable, entomb
Ex-
Out of or former
Extract, ex-boyfriend
Il-, Im-, In- or Ir-
Not or negate
Illegal, immobile, insufficient, irresponsible
Mis-
Incorrect
Mismatch, misspell
Post-
After, behind
Postscript, postmodern
Pre-
Before
Prepare, predict
Pro-
In favour of or promoting
Proactive, pro-democracy
Re-
Repeat or restore
Reappear, rewrite
Sub-
Below or less than
Submarine, subpar
Trans-
Across
Transatlantic, transgender
Un-
Unhappy, undo
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