These are some common prefixes and some words that use them.
| Prefix |
Meaning |
Example Word |
| Anti- |
against |
anticlimax (against the climax) |
| Auto- |
self |
autobiography (a person’s life written by that person) |
| Com- |
with, together |
compact (joined or packed together) |
| De- |
away, remove |
deforest (remove trees or forest) |
| Dis- |
the opposite of |
disallow (not allow) |
| En- |
make |
enforce (to put force) |
| Ex- |
past |
ex-boss (former boss) |
| Hemi- |
half |
hemicycle (a half circle) |
| In- |
not |
inactive( not active) |
| Inter- |
between |
interstate (between states) |
| Mis- |
wrong, bad |
mispronounce (say wrongly) |
| Non- |
no or not |
nonmetal (not metal) |
| Post- |
after |
postdate (after the date) |
| Pre- |
before |
pretest (a test before a test) |
| Pro- |
forward |
promote (move forward) |
| Re- |
again |
regift (gift again) |
| Trans- |
across |
transfer (to pass from one person or place to another) |
| Tri- |
three |
triangle (having three angles) |
| Un- |
no or not |
unafraid (not afraid) |
| Under- |
below, lacking |
underage (lacking the required age) |
6th Grade Reading - Roots and Affixes Lesson