Want a better vocabulary? These 70 common prefixes, suffixes, and roots will help you improve your vocabulary.
Prefixes are the beginning letters of a word. They generally come from Greek or Latin languages and help to change the meaning of the word. Here are 10 very common prefixes:
Prefix Meaning Example
A-, An- not, without atypical, atheist, anarchy, anemia, anonymous
Anti- against, counter, antisocial, anti-Semitic, antibody
Pre- before prejudice, preview, preliminary
Re- again review, rewind, remember, reinvent
De- opposite, away, against deter, deflate, defame, detain, detach
Dis-, Dif- not, opposite, undo, away distract, dismiss, differ, disrespect, disperse
Mis- not, wrongly, bad mistake, misstep, misappropriate, misspell
Para- alongside, next to, not intersecting parallel, paraprofessional, parachute, paraphrase
Tele- far away, distant television, telegraph, telephone, telepathy, telekinesis
Un- not, opposite unfair, unbelievable, unreal, unapologetic
Once you know those first 10, you can build thousands of words easily. Better vocabulary comes from knowing the most common prefixes and roots. Here are the first 60 of the next 100+ common prefixes:
Act-, do, act active, activate, react, activity, action, actuate
Acu- sharp accurate, acupuncture, acute, acumen
Aero- air aerosol, aerial,
Agri- soil, earth agriculture, agribusiness, agroindustry
Alter-, Altr other alter ego, altruistic, alteration, altercation
Am- love amiable, amorous, amicable
Ambi- both ambidextrous, ambivalent, ambitious
Arch- chief, rule, first architect, monarchy, anarchy, patriarch
Auto- self automatic, automobile, autocorrect, autograph
Bene- good, well benevolent, beneficial, benefactor, benefit
Bi- two biannual, biped, binoculars
Bio- life biology, biography, biodiesel, biotechnology
Cent- hundred century, centigrade, centimeter, centipede
Co- together cooperate, coordinate, commander, costar, cohabitate
Contr- against contradict, contract, contrary
Corp- body corporation, corps, corporal punishment
Demo- people democracy, demographic, demagogue
Dia- through, across diagonal, diachronic, diagnosis, dialect, diatribe, diaphragm
Dic-, Dict- say, speak dictate, dictionary, diction, dictator, predict, contradict
Dys- bad, wrongly dysfunctional, dystrophy, dyslexic
Equi- equal, same equivalent, equitable, equator, equinox, equilateral
Exter-, Extra- outside, beyond external, extraordinary, exterior, extrapolate, extravagant
Fac-, Fact-, Fea- make, do feature, feasible, fact, factory, manufacture
Fid-, Fed- true, trust, faith fidelity, federal, fiduciary, confident, confidante, confide
Fin- end final, finish, finale, refine, define, finite
Fix- repair, attach fix, fixate, prefix, suffix, fixture,
Flu- flow influence, fluctuate, fluent, fluvial, flush
Fort- strength fort, fortitude, fortify, effort
Form- shape form, conform, reform, formation, format, formula
Gen- birth, produce Genesis, genetics, eugenics, generate, generic, generous
Geo- earth geology, geography, geopolitical
Graph- write graph, telegraph, graphic, geographical, autobiography
Hetero- other, different heterogeneous, heterosexual, heterodox
Homo- same homogenous, homosexual, homonym, homeopathic
Hum- earth, ground human, exhume, humane, humus
Hydr- water hydraulic, hydrant, dehydrate,
Hyper- over, above, beyond hyperactive, hyperbolic, hyperkinetic, hypersensitive
Hypn- sleep hypnotherapy, hypnotize, hypnotic,
Infra- under, below infrastructure, infrared, infra
Inter- between, among international, interstate, internet, intercede, interfere
Intra- within, inside intramural, intrauterine, intranet
Intro- into, toward the inside introduction, introspection, introvert, intro
Leg- law legal, legislative, legality, legitimate
Liber- free liberty, liberal, liberalize, liberate, deliverance
Liter- letter literature, literary, alliterate, literal
Loc- place location, locomotion, locate, local, allocate
Loqu-, Locu- speak colloquial, loquacious, circumlocution, eloquent
Lum-, Luc-, Lus- light illustrious, luminous, illuminate, lucent
Magn- great magnitude, magnify, magnate, magnanimous
Main- strong maintain, mainstay, mainstream, remain, main
Mal- bad, wrong malnutrition, malignant, malformation, malfunction
Man- hand manipulate, maneuver, manage, manual, manufacture
Mega- great, big, million megaton, megalopolis, megaphone, megalomania
Meta- beyond, upon metaphor, metamorphosis, metastasize, metaphysical
Mono- one monopoly, monocle, mononucleosis, monotonous
Morph- form, shape morphology, amorphous, morpheme
Multi- many multicultural, multiply, multitude, multilingual
Nasc-, Nat- birth nascent, natal, natural, native, innate, pregnant
Neo- new neonatal, Neolithic, neoconservative, neoclassical
Omni- all, every omniscient, omnipotent, omnibus, omnivorous
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