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Word Anatomy: Breaking Down Words into Parts
Prefix: a group of letters that come at the beginning of a word.
Root: the basic part of a word; the prefixes and suffixes are added to it.
Suffix: a group of letters that come at the end of a word.
un + change + able = unchangeable
Some words are just root words, meaning they don’t have a prefix or suffix. Some words have a root word
and just a prefix or just a suffix.
Here is a list of commonly used prefixes:
Meaning
Prefix
Example
Meaning of Example
1
2
A, ab, abs
Ad, a, ac, af, ag,
an, ar, at, as
Away, from
To, toward
Absent,
Adhere, annex, accede, adapt
Away from
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Bi, Bis
Circum
Com, con
De
Dis, dif, di
Epi
Equi
Ex, e
Two
Around
Together, with
Opposite, from, away
Apart, not
Upon, on top of
Equal
Out, from, forth
Bicycle, bisect
Circumference
Combination
Detract
Different, disperse
Epicenter
Equality
Exit
Vehicle with two wheels
11
Hyper
Over, above
Hyperactive
12
Hypo
Under, beneath
Hypodermic
13
14
15
16
In
Inter
Mal, male
Mis
In, into, not
Between, among
Bad, ill
Wrong
Inject
Intercede
Malevolent
Mistake
17
18
19
20
Mono
Non
Ob
Omni
Alone, single,one
Not
In front of, against
Everywhere, all
Monotone
Nonsense
Obvious
Omnipresent
21
Pre
Before
Predetermined
22
23
24
25
Pro
Re
Retro
Se
Forward
Again, back
Backward, behind, back
Apart
Proceed
Recall
Retroactive
Secede
26
27
Sub
Super
Under
Greater, beyond
Subway
Supernatural
28
29
30
Trans
Un, uni
Un (pronounced
uhn)
Across, beyond
One
Not
Transcontinental
Unity
Unhappy
Present everywhere
Continue forward
Vocabulary A
Here is a list of root words that do not stand alone as full words.
Root
Meaning
Example
Meaning of Example
1
Antrop-
Man/human
Philanthropy
Being generous to people
2
Arch-
Government, first
Monarch
King
3
Bas-
Low
Basement
4
Cap-, Capt-
Take, seize
Capture
5
Chrono-
Time
Chronology
6
Cred-
Believe
Credible
7
Demos-
People
Epidemic
8
Dict-
Speak
Predict
9
Duc-, Duct-
Lead
Conduct, induce
10
Fac-, Fact-
Make, do
Artifact
11
Graph-
Write
Autograph
12
Log-
Word, study of
Dialog
13
Mort-
Die, death
Mortal
14
Scrib-, Script-
Write
15
Spec-, Spect-
See
Transcribe,
subscription
Spectacle
16
Tact-
Touch
Contact
17
Ten-
Hold
Retentive
18
Therm-
Heat
Thermometer
19
Ver-
True
Verify
20
Vita-
Life
Vital
A list of events in time
A disease that affects many people
at the same time
Something important for life
Vocabulary A
Like prefixes, suffixes are letters that are added to a word to give it a different meaning. However, they
are added at the end of the word.
Here is a list of commonly used suffixes:
Suffix
Meaning
Example
1
-able, -ible
Able to (adj.)
Usable, edible
2
-er
Teacher
3
-er, -or
A person who does an
action
One who does (n.)
4
-fy
To make (v)
Dignify
5
-ing
Talking
6
-ism
Is happening, present
tense
The practice of (n.)
7
-ist
Environmentalist
8
-ize
One who is occupied
with
To make
9
-less
Without, lacking (adj.)
Meaningless
10
-logue, -log
Dialogue
11
-ment
A particular kind of
speaking or writing
The action of
12
-ness
The quality of (n)
Aggressiveness
13
-ous
Full of, having
Joyous
14
-ship
The art or skill of (n)
Sportsmanship
15
-tude
The state of (n.)
Attitude
Meaning of Example
One who teaches
Competitor
There is talk happening
Catholicism
Victimize
Amendment
Make someone a victim; harm
someone
The action of changing
Having much joy
Vocabulary A