Prefixes and Suffixes
1. Negation / Opposition
Un- → not, opposite of → unhappy, unfair, unclear
In-/im-/il-/ir- → not → incomplete, impossible, illegal, irregular
Dis- → opposite, reverse → disagree, disconnect, dishonest
Non- → not → nonstop, nonsense, nonfiction
Mis- → wrongly → misunderstand, misplace, misbehave
Anti- → against → antiwar, antifreeze, antisocial
Counter- → against, opposite → counterattack, counterargument
2. Quantity / Number
Mono- → one → monologue, monopoly
Uni- → one → unicycle, uniform
Bi-/di- → two → bilingual, bicycle, dialogue
Tri- → three → triangle, tricycle
Multi- → many → multicultural, multimedia
Poly- → many → polygon, polytheism
Semi-/hemi-/demi- → half → semicircle, hemisphere, demigod
Micro- → small → microscope, microorganism
Macro- → large → macroeconomics, macroscopic
3. Time / Order / Position
Pre- → before → preview, preschool, prehistory
Post- → after → postwar, postgraduate
Re- → again, back → rewrite, rebuild, return
Ex- → former, out of → ex-president, export
Inter- → between, among → international, interact
Trans- → across → transport, transfer, transaction
Sub- → under, below → submarine, subway, subconscious
Super- → above, beyond → supermarket, supernatural
Over- → too much, above → overeat, overwork, overlook
Under- → too little, below → underestimate, underground
4. Degree / Size / Importance
Hyper- → too much, excessive → hyperactive, hypertension
Hypo- → too little, below → hypodermic, hypothermia
Ultra- → extremely → ultraviolet, ultramodern
Mini- → small → minibus, miniskirt
Maxi- → large, big → maxidress, maximize
Pro- → in favor of, forward → proactive, promote, progress
5. Science / Technology / Miscellaneous
Tele- → far → telephone, television, teleport
Auto- → self → autograph, automatic, autobiography
Bio- → life → biology, biography, biodegradable
Geo- → earth → geography, geology, geothermal
Hydro- → water → hydroelectric, hydrology
Aero- → air → aeroplane, aerospace
Astro- → star, space → astronomy, astronaut
Psycho- → mind → psychology, psychotherapy
Thermo- → heat → thermometer, thermostat
📌 SUFFIXES (added to the end of a word)
1. Noun-forming suffixes
-er/-or → one who does → teacher, actor, driver
-ist → one who practices → artist, scientist, pianist
-ian → belonging to, specialist → musician, historian
-ness → state of being → kindness, darkness, happiness
-ship → position, condition → friendship, leadership
-hood → state, condition → childhood, neighborhood
-dom → state, condition → freedom, kingdom
-ment → result, action → development, punishment
-ion/-tion/-sion → act, state → education, action, decision
-ity/-ty → state, quality → clarity, honesty, reality
-ology → study of → biology, psychology, geology
-ism → belief, system → realism, communism, Buddhism
2. Adjective-forming suffixes
-ful → full of → joyful, careful, hopeful
-less → without → hopeless, powerless, endless
-ous/-ious → full of, having → dangerous, curious, ambitious
-al → related to → natural, cultural, political
-ic → related to → historic, poetic, scientific
-ive → having the quality of → creative, active, expensive
-able/-ible → capable of → readable, possible, invisible
-y → full of → sunny, windy, cloudy
3. Verb-forming suffixes
-ize/-ise → to make, become → realize, organize, modernize
-ify → to make → beautify, clarify, simplify
-ate → to act upon → activate, celebrate, motivate
-en → to make → strengthen, deepen, widen
4. Adverb-forming suffixes
-ly → in the manner of → quickly, slowly, happily
-ward/-wards → direction → backward, forwards, upwards
-wise → in relation to → clockwise, otherwise, likewise
Usage tip for teaching/writing:
Prefixes usually change meaning of the root word.
Suffixes usually change the part of speech (verb → noun, adj → adv, etc.).
Gathered by A. Mohammadi