Prefixes Worksheets, Examples & Definition

Prefixes are half-words, such as anti-, ex-, post-, and pre-. It alters a word’s meaning by adding it at the start. Prefixes are distinct from suffixes, which are added to a word’s end. Prefixes and suffixes are examples of affixes.

See the fact file below for more information on Prefixes or alternatively, you can download our 30-page Prefixes worksheet pack to utilize within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

Prefixes

Use of Prefixes

• Prefixes are mainly used to combine sentences into a single word. For example, rather than saying that someone is “achieving more than expected,” you may state that they are “overachieving,” owing to the prefix over-. Prefixes are one of the most effective techniques to simplify language and make it more potent in writing.
• Prefixes are frequently used in academic fields, mainly to categorize subjects. For example, biology is the study of live beings derived from the prefix bio-, which means “life.” Still, geology studies rocks and other earth minerals derived from the prefix geo-, which means “related to the earth.”
• Just be careful not to produce a double negative when employing prefixed terms with a negative. A-, in-, and un- are examples of prefixes that are already negative. As a result, if you say “not unnecessary,” the two negatives cancel each other out, leaving only the word “necessary” as a meaning.

Hyphens and Prefixes

• The most perplexing aspect of employing prefixes from a grammatical standpoint is knowing whether to use hyphens after them. In essence, certain prefixed words incorporate hyphens while others do not. Here are some fundamental guidelines to assist you in understanding when to use hyphens with prefixes.

Rule 1: Hyphenate a proper noun.

• Use a hyphen if your prefix comes before a proper noun.
• Example: anti-British and pro-Nazi

Rule 2: The same vowel should never appear twice (unless it’s an “o”).

• If the prefix and root terms begin with the same vowel, hyphens are used to separate them.
• For instance, semi-industrious and re-enter
• But if you can stand the way the word appears without a hyphen and your spellchecker allows it, especially when the vowel is an “o,” then leave it off.
• Examples include coordinating, cooperating, and co-owning (Your spellchecker, or dictionary, will not allow co-owner.)

Rule 3: Different vowels may double.

• If a prefix ends in a vowel, and the root word begins with a distinct vowel, the hyphen is usually removed.
• Proactive, reactivation, and semiautonomous are some examples (keep in mind that if your spellchecker doesn’t like it or you don’t like the way it appears, use a hyphen instead.

Rule 4: When writing “ex” and “self,” hyphenate.

• A hyphen is often used after the prefixes “ex” and “self.”
• Ex-husband, for instance, who is self-aware

Rule 5: Always remove any ambiguity.

• Add the hyphen if the unhyphenated version may be mistaken for another word. (The prefix “re” is most frequently used for this.)
• Re-cover/ recover (If there were no hyphens in “recover,” it could be confused with recover, meaning to return to a normal state.)
• Re-press/repress (If there were no hyphens in repress, it could be confused with repress, meaning to subdue with force.)
• Pre-date/predate (If there were no hyphen in predate, it could be confused with predate, meaning to prey upon.)

Rule 6: Enjoy the leniency.

• Most prefixed nouns are available in both versions. As you could have inferred from the rules above, it frequently depends on the writer’s attitude toward the term.
• Example: Because the antigovernment soldiers lacked infrared goggles, the attack occurred at night. (In this case, the author preferred the variations to be antigovernment or infrared; that’s great; take advantage of the indulgence.)
• Why are nonhyphenated words hyphenated? The paradox! In truth, nonhyphenated doesn’t require a hyphen, but the joke falls flat without one. Enjoy the indulgence.

List of Common Prefixes

a-, an-

• without
• Example: amoral, atheist, asexual

after-

• following something
• Example: afterlife, aftermath, aftereffect

all-

• Including everything or completely
• Example: all-knowing, all-American, all-encompassing

ambi-

• both
• Example: ambidextrous, ambiguous, ambivalence

anti-

• ·against or opposing
• anticlimactic, antibiotics, antiperspirant

astro-

• relating stars or outer space
• astronomy, astrology, astronomical

auto-

• by oneself
• automobile, autobiography, automatic

back-

• behind or reverse
• backflip, background, backward

bi-

• two
• bicycle, bisexual, binary

bio

• life or relating to life
• biology, biotechnology, biopsy

circum-

• around
• circumference, circumvent, circumstantial

co-, col-, com-, con-, cor-

• together
• co-pilot, colleague, correlation

contra-

• against, opposing
• contradiction, contraceptive, contrarian

counter-

• opposition, often as a reaction
• counterattack, counterbalance, counterpart

de-

• down or away from
• de-escalate, descend, devalue

dis-

• negation or reversal
• disapprove, dislike, dishonor

down-

• moving from higher to lower
• downgrade, download, downplay

ex-

• former or in the past
• ex-boyfriend, ex-wife, ex-president

ex-

• out from
• expatriate, exclude, export

extra-

• outside of
• extradite, extraterrestrial, extracurricular

fore-

• before or at the front
• forecast, forefront, forearm

geo-

• relating to the earth
• geology, geography, geofence

hetero-

• different
• heterosexual, heterogeneous, heteromorph

hind-

• in the back or behind
• hindsight, hindquarters, hinder

homo-

• same
• homosexual, homogeny, homophone

hydro-

• relating to water
• hydroelectric, hydrophobic, hydroplane

hyper-

• excessive, above, or over
• hyperactive, hyperbolic, hyperventilate

il-, im-, in-, ir

• negation or reversal
• illegal, inanimate, irredeemable

in-

• toward or within
• include, insert, influence

inter-

• among, between
• international, internet, interact

intra-

• on the inside, within
• intramural, intravenous, intracellular

mal-

• badly
• malfunction, malnourished, malevolent

mega-, megalo-

• very large
• megalomaniac, megalodon, megafauna

micro-

• very small
• microscope, microaggression, microcosm

mid-

• in the middle
• midnight, midlife, midseason

mini-

• small or less
• minimum, minivan, miniature

mono-

• one
• monochrome, monogamous, monologue

multi-

• more than one, many
• multiple, multitask, multimillionaire

neo-

• new iteration of something
• neoclassical, neonatal, neoliberal

non-

• not or negation
• nonnegotiable, nonstop, nonsense

off-

• not standard or away from
• offbrand, offsides, offshore

omni-

• encompassing all
• omnipotent, omnibus, omnivore

on-

• in the immediate vicinity
• ongoing, onlooker, onset

out-

• surpassing or going outside the normal
• outperform, outmaneuver, outlier

over-

• excessive or going above
• overreact, overreach, overstep

pan-

• including everything
• pandemic, pansexual, panacea

para-

• beside or beyond
• parallel, paragraph, paranormal

peri-

• around or about
• perimeter, periscope, peripheral

photo-

• relating to light
• photography, photosynthesis, photon

poly-

• many
• polygon, polygamy, polytheism

post-

• happening after
• postpone, posthumously, postseason

pre-

• happening before
• prepare, predict, prefix

pro-

• in support of
• pro-union, pro-democracy, pro-form

pro-

• moving forward or advancing
• propulsion, progress, proceed

re-

• doing something again
• repeat, recycle, redo

self-

• directed toward oneself
• self-conscious, self-assured, self-checkout

semi-

• partially, not completely
• semiautonomous, semicircle, semiannual

sub-, sup-

• below or from a lower position
• submarine, suboptimal, subtropic

syn-, sym-

• working together
• synchronize, symmetry, syndicate

tele-

• from a distance
• telephone, television, telecommute

trans-

• crossing or going beyond
• transcontinental, transform, transgender

tri-

• three
• trident, triangle, triathlon

un-

• negation or the absence of
• unimportant, unrest, uneventful

under-

• beneath or insufficient
• undercover, underwear, underestimate

uni-

• one
• uniform, unite, unicellular

up-

• upward or higher
• upgrade, upwind, update

with-

• moving away from or resisting
• withdrawal, withhold, withstand

Common Prefixes Used

• Listed in the table are some of the most common prefixes used.

Prefix	Meaning	Examples
anti-	against, in opposition, opposite of	antisocial, anticlimax, antibiotic, antibacterial, antibody
co-	together, with, mutual	co-worker, co-pilot, co-manage, co-writer, co-owner
de-	remove, away from, separate from	demotivate, deform, defile, detour, defile
dis-	not, in opposition	disagree, disapprove, dislike, disconnect, disinfect
ex-	former, out of, from, out	ex-president, ex-girlfriend, ex-senator, ex-convict, ex-stepdad
il-, im-, in-, ir-	no, not, used to define a negative word	impossible, impatient, irregular, illegal, irresponsible
mis-	incorrect, mistaken, wrong	misinterpret, misunderstand, miscommunication, mistrust, misspell
pre-	before, prior to, in advance of	preheat, premade, preorder, preview, precook
re-	again, repeat	return, reunite, reheat, regain, replay
un-	not, no	undone, unfinished, untidy, unhappy, untie

Prefixes Used in Metric System

• Prefixes can be used in the metric system. 

Prefix	Examples
giga	gigabyte, gigabit, gigahertz
mega	megapixel, megahertz, megabyte
centi-	centimeter, centigram, centiliter
kilo	kilometer, kilogram, kilobyte
milli	milliliter, milligram, millimeter
deci	decimeter, decigram, deciliter
nano	nanometer, nanogram, nanowatts
tera-	terabyte, terapixel, terameter
hecto	hectometer, hectoliter, hectogram
deca	decameter, decagram, decaliter

Prefixes Used in Shapes

• Examples of prefixes when used in shapes are listed below.

Prefix	Meaning	Root word / main word	New Word Formed
penta	five	gon (meaning “angles”)	pentagon
hexa	six	gon (meaning “angles”)	hexagon
hepta	hepta	gon (meaning “angles”)	heptagon
octa	eight	gon (meaning “angles”)	octagon
nona	nine	gon (meaning “angles”)	nonagon
deca	ten	gon (meaning “angles”)	decagon

Prefixes Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle that includes everything you need to know about Prefixes across 30 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about Prefixes, which alter a word’s meaning by adding it at the start.

Complete List of Included Worksheets

• Prefixes Facts
• True or False
• Color It
• Fill in The Box
• What Does It Mean?
• Picture Prefix
• Prefixes in Sentences
• Check It Out
• Crossword
• What’s Missing?
• Shopping
• Search for Prefix
• Poem Making
• What Do You Think?

Frequently Asked Questions

What are prefixes?

Prefixes are half-words, such as anti-, ex-, post-, and pre-. It alters a word’s meaning by adding it at the start.

What is the importance of prefixes?

Prefixes are mainly used to combine sentences into a single word. For example, rather than saying that someone is “achieving more than expected,” you may state that they are “overachieving,” owing to the prefix over-. Prefixes are one of the most effective techniques to simplify language and make it more potent in writing.

What is the most perplexing aspect of using prefixes?

The most perplexing aspect of employing prefixes from a grammatical standpoint is knowing whether to use hyphens after them.

What is the difference between a suffix and a prefix?

Prefixes are distinct from suffixes, which are added to a word’s end. Prefixes and suffixes are examples of affixes.

Give some examples of prefixes. 

Some examples of prefixes are a-, be-, de-, dis-, ex-, in-, mis-, non-, over-, pre-, re-, uni- and with-. These prefixes appear most often in academic vocabulary.

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