Common Prefixes, Suffixes and Roots Compiled by Alice Thomas
The 20 Most Common Prefixes in Academic Texts Prefix
Meaning
Examples
1. un-
not; opposite
uncover, unlock, unsafe, unbelievble
2. re-
again; back
rewrite, reread, return, rethink
3. in-, im-, ir-, il
not; into
incorrect, insert, inexpensive, illegal, irregular, impossible
4. dis-
not, away, apart, negative
disagree, discord, discomfort, discontent, distrust
5. en-, em-
cause to
enjoy, endure, enlighten, entail, embrace, empathy
6. non-
not
nonsense, nonverbal, nonstick, nonspecific
7. in-, im-
in, into, not
invade, implant, imperfect, immoral, inedible, incapable
8. over-
too much
overload, overdo, overact, overboard, overdose
9. mis-
wrongly
misjudge, misinterpret, misguided, mismatch, misplace
10. sub-
under
submarine, subtext, substandard, subsitute, subversive
11. pre-
before
preview, pretest, prevent, preplan
12. inter-
between, among
interstate, international, intermission, intermingle, interface
13. fore-
before
foreshadow, foresight, foreseeable, forecast, foreground
14. de-, dis-
opposite of, not
depose, detour, dehydrated, decaffeinated, discord, discomfort, disengage
15. trans-
across; move between
transatlantic, transcend, transfer, transact, transport
16. super-
above
supersonic, superstar, supernatural, superstore
17. semi-
half
semicircle, semiprecious, semicolon, semifinal
18. anti-
against
antifreeze, antithesis, antitrust, antidote, antisocial
19. mid-
middle
midterm, Midwest, midstream, midway, midnight
20. under-
too little; not enough
underfed, underdog, underestimate, underage
Ranked by Carroll et al (1971) and applied to third grade research by White, Sowell and Yanagihara (1989) Center for Development and Learning (504) 840-9786 | www.cdl.org | learn@cdl.org
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