What Is a Prefix and a Suffix?

– Meaning and Definition

A prefix is a short morphological unit that is added to the beginning of a root word in
order to alter its meaning and/or function. It can be just a single letter or two to five
letters. The Oxford Learner’s Dictionary defines a prefix as “a letter or group of letters
added to the beginning of a word to change its meaning, such
as un- in unhappy and pre- in preheat”.

A suffix, on the other hand, is a short morphological unit that follows the root word. In
other words, it is added to the end of the root word. A suffix can contain two to four
letters. It is defined as “a letter or group of letters added to the end of a word to make
another word, such as -ly in quickly or -ness in sadness”, according to the Oxford
Learner’s Dictionary.

Collectively, if suffix and prefix are combined then it is known as affixes. Both prefix
and suffix are not words in general, but the addition of either of them can make or break
a word. When you use only suffix or prefix in a sentence than it would not make sense.
To denote the incompletion of a word, we put a hyphen to denote them.

We need to study prefix and suffix so that we can be comfortable with the English
language. Further, you develop an ability to easily recognize the word that you do not
know of or you are not familiar with. It is already known that confidence with
vocabulary goes a long way in speaking, listening, reading, and writing. There are a few
things you need to understand while learning prefixes and suffixes.

Important Points on Prefixes

1. Different prefixes which are used in the English language can also have the same
meaning. For example, in-, un-, not- all have the same meaning which is,
‘opposite of’ or ‘not’. Similarly, the prefix is- and mis- means incorrectly or
wrongly.

2. Repetition of letters is also possible. That is to say that when im- or unto word
and if the word starts with ‘m’ and ‘n’ respectively then the double letters are
also possible. For example immeasurable and unnoticeable.
 3. You need to be careful while seeing the words which starts with the prefix but
do not contain the prefix. For example, the word uncle is a whole word. It does
not have any prefix at the beginning.

4. The addition of prefix should not change the spelling of the base word. For
example, when you add ‘un’ to the word happy the spelling will be unhappy
which is the same spelling as the base word.

Important Points on Suffixes

1. Like prefixes, many suffixes have the same meaning. The best example is the
use of the word ‘er’, whi

2. ch when you add to the end of any word, represents a person who is performing
an action. Further, ‘er’ is also added at the end of adverbs and adjectives. This
helps in the comparison of two things. Like slow will be slower and fast will be
faster.

3. For suffixes, the spelling of the base word can change when you add a suffix at
the end. This is mostly true for the words ending with ‘y’ at the end. For example,
when a suffix is added to the word crazy it will change into crazier or craziness.

4. The above statement is also true for the base words which end with a silent ‘e’.
For example, make and manage will change into making and managing when
you add the suffix ‘ing’ to both the words. But not all words ending with ‘e’ will
have a different spelling.

Spelling Rules to Be Followed When Adding a Prefix or a Suffix

The construction of new words from existing words in English always includes a change
in their spellings. This is why there are spelling rules in English to help you easily
remember and use them. Likewise, there are some basic spelling rules that you will have
to apply when adding suffixes or prefixes.

When adding a prefix,

• You need not make any changes to the spelling of the base word; you can just
write the prefix followed by the base word. For example, popular unpopular.
 • In the case of prefixes such as ‘non’ and ‘ex’, you might have to add a hyphen in
between the prefix and the root word. For example, non-violence, ex-
serviceman.

When adding a suffix,

• The spelling of the root word might/might not change.

• For all words that end with consonants other than ‘y’, you can simply add the
suffix to the end of the root word. For example, truth truthful, quick quickly.

• For words ending with ‘y’, you will have to remove the ‘y’, add an ‘i’ and then
add suffixes such as ‘al’ or ‘ly’. For instance, try trial, happy happily.

• An exception to the above rule is in the case of monosyllabic words

without vowels. For example, shy shyly, sly slyly.

• There are words to which ‘ity’ is added instead of ‘ty’. This is for words that end
with an ‘e’. The ‘e’ is omitted and ‘ity’ is added. For example, sensitive
sensitivity, creative creativity. This is also the case when the suffix ‘al’ is already
added to the base word. For example, sentimental sentimentality, functional
functionality.

• For most monosyllabic words and some disyllabic words ending in ‘e’, you will
have to remove the ‘e’ and add suffixes such as ‘able’ and ‘age’. For example,
use usage, move movable, love lovable, adore adorable, relate relatable.

• There are some exceptions to the above rule. For instance, like likeable, manage
manageable, recharge rechargeable.

• The same is the case with words that take the suffix ‘ible’. For example, sense
sensible, collapse collapsible.

• With suffixes such as ‘tion’ and ‘sion’, you will have to omit the last consonant
and the silent ‘e’. This is in the case of words ending in ‘de’ or ‘te’. For example,
divide division, fixate fixation, ignite ignition.

• When only the silent ‘e’ has to be omitted before adding ‘tion, you will have to
add an ‘a’ before the suffix ‘tion’. This applies to words ending in ‘re’ or ‘se’.
For instance, converse conversation, mechanise mechanisation, admire
admiration.
 • When adding ‘er’ and ‘est’ to the adjective, it forms
the comparative and superlative degrees of comparison. Some
monosyllabic adjectives would require you to double the final consonant before
adding the suffix. You can learn more about this by going through the article
on degrees of comparison.

• For words ending with ‘y’, when adding suffixes like ‘ness’, you will have to
change the ‘y’ into ‘i’ and then add ‘ness’. For example, happy happiness, lively
liveliness. Words such as ‘dry’ and ‘shy’ do not follow the same pattern. For
example, shyness, dryness.

• Sometimes, you will have to add ‘li’ and then ‘ness’ to the end of the root word.
For instance, clean cleanliness, kind kindliness/kindness.

When adding a prefix and a suffix,

• The above-said spelling rules of prefixes and suffixes apply. For example,
success unsuccessful, happy unhappily.

List of Commonly-Used Prefixes and Suffixes with Examples

The most common prefixes are as follows.

• A- (abiotic, atypical) • Mis- (misunderstand,

• Un- (undo, unfold) misinterpret)

• Im- (impolite, immature) • Pro- (proactive)

• In- (intolerant, indisciplined) • Sub- (subconscious,

substandard)
• Il- (illogical, illegible)
• Pre- (preset, predetermine)
• Ir- (irregular, irresponsible)
• Non- (nonexistent, non-
• De- (decode, destress)
violence)
• Re- (redo, reappear)
• Anti- (antifungal, antiviral)
• Dis- (disinterested, disobedient)
• Post- (postmodern,
postoperative)

Check out the prefixes list for more examples.

The most common suffixes are

• -y (honesty, noisy) • -ment (shipment, basement)

• -ly (quickly, softly) • -ness (happiness, blindness)

• -ty (loyalty, sincerity) • -able (bearable, eatable)

• -ry (bravery, mockery) • -ible (sensible, convertible)

• -er (larger, brighter) • -less (fearless, baseless)

• -al (parental, bacterial) • -ship (friendship, internship)

• -est (fastest, biggest) • -hood (parenthood, brotherhood)

• -age (usage, breakage) • -sion (conversion, invasion)

• -ing (trying, binding) • -tion (invention, exhibition)

• -ful (truthful, fruitful)

Prefixes and suffixes are both linguistic elements that modify the meaning of words, but
they do so in different positions within a word.

1. Prefixes: These are affixes attached at the beginning of a word. They alter the
meaning of the root word. For example:

• Un- in unhappy changes the meaning of happy to indicate negation or

reversal.

• Re- in redo signifies repetition or backtracking, modifying the meaning

of do.

2. Suffixes: These are affixes attached at the end of a word. Like prefixes, they
change the meaning of the root word but often alter its grammatical function or
indicate aspects like tense, plurality, or comparison. For example:

• -ly in happily modifies the adjective happy to indicate manner.

• -ed in walked indicates past tense, altering the verb walk.

Relationship:

• Complementary: Prefixes and suffixes often work together to modify a word's

meaning or function. For instance, in the word unhappily, the prefix un- negates
the root happy, while the suffix -ly modifies it to indicate manner.
 • Independence: However, it's important to note that a word can have either a
prefix or a suffix without necessarily having both. For example, the word happy
can take the suffix -ness to become happiness without needing a prefix.

• Flexibility: Prefixes and suffixes can be added to a variety of root words,

providing flexibility and richness to the language. They allow speakers and
writers to convey nuanced meanings, grammatical distinctions, or changes in
tense, aspect, or mood efficiently.

In essence, while prefixes and suffixes both serve to modify the meaning of words, they
do so in different positions within the word, with prefixes preceding the root and
suffixes following it. Together, they play a crucial role in expanding the vocabulary and
expressing subtleties in language.