SAT Common Roots, Prefixes, and Suffixes (With Example Words)

pseudo

not genuine; pseudonym, pseudoscience

pug

to fight; pugnacious, repugnant, pugilant

pul

urge; compulsion, impulsive, expulsion

purg

clean; purge, purgatory, expurgate

re

again; regenerate, reassess, reconfigure

reg

guide, rules; regulate, regular, regent, regime

retro

back, backward; retroactive, retrospect, retrograde

san

health; sane, sanity, insane, sanitation

scend

climb, go; ascend, crescendo, descent

sci

to know; science, conscience, conscious, omniscient

scrib

write; scribe, prescribe, inscribe, describe

se

apart; secede, seclude, serum

sect

cut; dissect, intersect, section

sed

sit; sediment, sedentary

sol

comfort; consolation, solace

soph

wise; philosophy, sophisticated, sophism

sub

below, under; submarine, subpar

super

higher in quality or quantity; superior, supernatural, superfan, superb

syn (sym)

with, together; synonym, sympathy

tact

to touch; contact, tactile

tax

arrangement; syntax, taxonomy, ataxia

tele

far; television, telephone, telescope, telegraph

tort

twist; contort, distort, retort

trans

across, through; transform, transaction, translate, transport

un

not; unfair, unable, unfriendly, uncontrollable

uni

one; unicycle, united, unison

vac

empty; vacuum, vacant, evacuate

viv / vit

life; vitality, vivacious

vor (vour)

eat; devour, voracious, carnivore, herbivore

xen

foreign; xenocide, xenophobic, xenophile

lab

work; elaborate, laboratory, laborious, labor, collaborate

lat

broad, wide; dilate, latitude

laud

praise; laudably, applause, applaud

lex

word, law; lexicology, dyslexic, alexia, lexicon

loq

speech; loquacious, eloquent, colloquialism

luc

light; elucidate, lucid, translucent

macro

large, great; macroeconomics, macronutrients, macroevolution

mal

bad, evil; malignant, maltreat, malfeasance, malicious

medi

middle; mediocre, medium, medieval

melan

black, dark; melancholy, melanoma, melodrama

meta

change, beyond, after; metaphysics, metamorphosis, metastasis

micro

small; microscope, micronutrient

migr

move; immigrant, emigrate, migrant, migration

min

small; minimum, miniature, minuscule, minute

mis

wrong, bad; mistake, misinterpret, misogynist

miss (mit)

send, cast; remit, dismiss, missle, emit

mono

one; monotheism, monodiglyceride

mort

death; mortuary, immortal, mortify

nat

born; innate, natural, natal

neg

no; negate, negative, renege

neo

new; neophyte, neonatal, neologistic, neocolonialism

nov

new; novice, renovate, novelty

null

none; nullify, nullification, nulliparity

ob (op)

in the way, against; object, objection, opposition, obscure

omni

all; omnipotent, omniscient, omnivorous

opt

best; optimal, optimum, optimize

ous

having; adventurous, hazardous, nauseous, joyous

oxy

sharp; oxymoron, oxidize

paleo

ancient; paleontologist, Paleolithic, paleography

pan

all; pandemic, panorama, pantheon, panacea

para

beside, related; parallel, parasite, paramedic

path

feeling; antipathy, sympathetic, psychopath, apathy

pel (puls)

drive, push; dispel, repulse, compel, compulsion

ped

foot, kid; pedestrian, pedometer, pediatrician, pedophile

peri

around; perimeter, peripheral

phil

loving; philanthropic, philosophy, pedophile

phob

fear; hydrophobia, phobia, claustrophobic

poly

many; polytheistic, polyamorous, polygon

pos

put, place; position, compose, deposit

post

after; posterior, postpone, postmortem

pre

before; prevent, predetermined, precaution, preview

contra

against; contraband, contrary

corp

body; corporation, corpse, corporal

counter

opposing, contrary; counteract, counterintuitive, counteroffer

cracy (crat)

rule; democracy, democrat, theocracy, bureaucracy

cred

believe; incredible, credit, credulous, credence

crypt

hidden, secret; cryptic, encrypt

culp

blame, fault; culpable, exculpate, culprit

cumul

mass, heap; accumulate, cumulative

dem

people; democracy, demographics

di

twice, two; dilemma, diverse, dioxide

dia

across, through; dialogue, diameter, diagnosis

domin

master; dominate, predominate, domineering

don

give; donate, pardon, donor

dorm

sleep; dormitory, dormant, dormer

dur

harden, long lasting; durable, duration, endure

dyn

power, energy; dynamite, dynamic

ence (ance)

state, condition; performance, conference, insurance

esth (aesth)

beauty, feeling; esthetician, aesthetic, kinesthesia

ethn

nation, race; ethnicity, ethnology, ethnocentric

eu

good, well; euphemism, euphoria

ex

out, former; exit, ex-girlfriend, exterminate, extract

extra

beyond; extraordinary, extraterrestrial, extravagance

fer

carry, bring; transfer, ferry, conifer, confer

fid

trust; confidence, fidelity

flect (flex)

bend; reflect, flexible, inflect, deflect

fore

in front of, previous; before, therefore, forebode, forecast

fusc

dark; obfuscation, infuscate, subfuscous, fuscous

ger

old age; geriatrics, gerontology

grad (gress)

to step, to go; digress, gradual, graduate