Prefixes are an exciting and simple way to massively expand our vocabulary. This means we have an enormous amount of words ready and waiting for us to use in our speaking and writing!
Author
Jessica Milner
Published
December 4, 2023
Prefixes are an exciting and simple way to massively expand our vocabulary. This means we have an enormous amount of words ready and waiting for us to use in our speaking and writing!
Author
Jessica Milner
Published
Dec 4, 2023
Prefixes are an exciting and simple way to massively expand our vocabulary. This means we have an enormous amount of words ready and waiting for us to use in our speaking and writing!
Author
Jessica Milner
Published
Dec 4, 2023
Key takeaways
Prefixes are everywhere. You use them all the time, every day!
Chances are, you already know hundreds of words with prefixes and prefix meanings.
Learning how to spot a word with a prefix is an invaluable skill. It means that you’ll increase your vocabulary and understand the meaning of words better.
When you can understand how to use prefixes, you’ll start to be able to use them easily. In fact, once you’ve learned all about prefixes, you might not even have to think very hard before you use them, as it’ll come naturally!
A prefix is a letter, or group of letters, added to the start of a word. This changes the existing word and gives it a new meaning.
You can’t use a prefix on its own – it has to be added to an existing word to work.
Prefixes usually change the word’s meaning to the opposite, make it negative or positive, or express relations of time, place or manner.
Prefixes follow rules. Usually, they change the root word’s meaning to follow their rule (the root word is the base word with no prefix or suffix).
Though not all prefixes follow their rules perfectly, it can be very helpful to learn the meanings of common prefixes.
This can help us guess the meaning of the new word that adding the prefix has created.
Understanding a little about where words come from (etymology) and how they’re built (morphology) can also help you work out the meaning of a word. Most prefixes and suffixes come from Latin or Greek, which is where most of the English language comes from too!
Righto, let’s check out some prefix examples. Doing this will help us understand what they are and how they work!
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We’ve put together a list of some common prefixes and how they usually change the root word.
When you look at the examples, can you start to see how the prefix works to alter the root word?
Remember, the rule is never set in stone, so just use it to help you. If you need to look up a word or you find it difficult, move on and come back later.
These examples are designed to help you to learn, not make you feel like you’re gonna pop!
Un – ‘un’ often means not
Dis / Mis – ‘dis’ and ‘mis’ usually make words have negative meanings
Re – ‘re’ usually means to do again, or go back
Sub – ‘sub’ often means to go under, or below
Pro – ‘pro’ usually means for or forward
Im – ‘im’ often means not or no
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The difference between a prefix and a suffix is simple!
A prefix comes at the start of the root word, whereas a suffix comes at the end.
Both change the meaning of the root word.
Examples of suffixes include: s, ed, er, ise, ish, ful, ness, ly, ment, less
Suffixes often change the grammatical meaning of the root word.
For example, adding the suffix ‘s’ will make a word plural (more than one):
Goat + s = goats
Adding the suffix ‘ed’ often makes that word have happened in the past
Walk + ed = walked
Rain + ed = rained
What if we add the suffix ‘ful’?
Wish + ful = wishful
Hope + ful = hopeful
Wonder + ful = wonderful
Can you see how ‘ful’ usually means ‘full of’?
By the start of Key Stage 2, you may have already seen some common prefixes.
Key Stage 2 is the time when you really start to learn all about prefixes, a little more each year, from Year 3 to Year 6.
You’ll learn how to spot a prefix, what they mean and how to use them in your writing and speaking.
You’ll also learn how to spell words using prefixes and suffixes.
There’s a lot to learn here; the best way to learn it is to go slowly and focus on the prefixes and suffixes that you get the most excited about.
As you learn more about them, you’ll find it much easier to add new ones to the list of words you use daily – and you’ll notice when other people use them too!
If you’d like to learn more about prefixes, be sure to check out our English app. It’s filled with thousands of fun, interactive exercises and games that explore the whole English curriculum!
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Lesson credits
Jessica Milner
This decade is a super exciting one for EdTech, and I'm lucky enough to be right in the middle of it. I've used green screens as an English teacher in Vietnam, written children’s books that wow and motivate, been the head scriptwriter for a popular children's EdTech app and been an all-dancing-all-singing online teacher! I believe in making education inviting and accessible to all. My ethos is: we're all different and we all learn differently, so why not lay out a smorgasbord of educational treats and dig in!
Jessica Milner
This decade is a super exciting one for EdTech, and I'm lucky enough to be right in the middle of it. I've used green screens as an English teacher in Vietnam, written children’s books that wow and motivate, been the head scriptwriter for a popular children's EdTech app and been an all-dancing-all-singing online teacher! I believe in making education inviting and accessible to all. My ethos is: we're all different and we all learn differently, so why not lay out a smorgasbord of educational treats and dig in!
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