English Prefixes, Suffixes, and Root Words

com-, con-

together, with (compatriot, contact)

de-, dis-

lower, opposite (devalue, disloyal)

il-, im-, in-, ir-, non-, un-

not (illegal, impossible, inactive, irregular, nonsense, unable)

mis-

wrongly, badly (mistake, misbehave)

re-

again, back (redo, repay)

sub-

under, less than (submarine, subzero, subpar)

super-

above, greater than (superimpose, superstar)

-acy, -ance, -ence, -hood, -ity, -ment, -ness, -ship

state, quality, or condition of, act or process of (adequacy, attendance, persistence, neighborhood, activity, judgement, brightness, friendship)

-ant, -eer, -ent, -er, -ian, -ier, -ist, -or

one who does or makes something (contestant, auctioneer, resident, banker, comedian, financier, dentist, doctor)

-ation, -ition, -ion

act or result of (organization, imposition, election)

-ate

to become, produce, or treat (validate, salivate, chlorinate)

-en

to make, cause to be (weaken, soften)

-fy, -ify, -ize

to cause, make (liquify, glorify, legalize)

-al, -ic

relating to, characteristic of (natural, romantic)

-ful, -ive, -ous

full of, given by, marked by (beautiful, protective, poisonous)

astr, aster, astro

having to do with stars (astral, asteroid, astronaut)

chron, chrono

having to do with time (chronic, chronological)

cryph, crypt

hidden, secret (apocryphal, cryptographer)

dem, demo

having to do with people (epidemic, democracy)

gen

race, kind, origin, birth (generation, genes)

graph, graphy, gram

having to do with writing (graphite, autobiography, telegram)

dic, dict

having to do with speaking, saying, or telling (indicate, diction)

ject

throw (eject)

pon, pus

to put or place (component, position)

port

to carry (portable)

rupt

to break (bankrupt, erupt, disrupt)

spec, spic

to look, see (spectator, conspicuous, spectacles)

lys

to break down (analysis, lyse)

morph

to from, shape (amorphous)

pol, polis

having to do with a city or state (police, metropolis, politics)

phon, phone, phono

having to do with sound or voice (phonics, telephone, phonograph)

scop, scope

to watch or look at (microscope, telescope)

tele

far off, distant (television, telegram)

pend, pens

to hang, weigh, set aside (pendulum, pension)

pel, puls

drive (expel, compulsive)

scrib, scribe, script

having to do with writing (scribble, describe, inscription)

tain, ten, tin

hold, keep (contain, obtain, tenure, retinue)

tac, tag, tang, teg

having to do with touch (contact, contagious, tangible, integral)

vers, vert

having to do with turning (reverse, invert)

voc, vok

having to do with calling (vocal, invoke, vocabulary)