Prefix & Suffix Explorer

Discover how prefixes and suffixes shape English words. Click any affix to see words that use it.

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Start with a hyphen for suffixes (e.g. -ful) or end with one for prefixes (e.g. re-).
Common Prefixes
un-not, opposite
re-again, back
pre-before
dis-not, apart
mis-wrongly, badly
over-too much, above
under-below, too little
out-beyond, surpass
sub-under, below
super-above, beyond
anti-against
auto-self
bi-two
co-together, with
counter-against, opposite
de-remove, reverse
en-cause to, put in
ex-out of, former
fore-before, front
inter-between, among
mid-middle
non-not
post-after
semi-half, partly
trans-across, beyond

Understanding Prefixes and Suffixes

Prefixes and suffixes are affixes added to the beginning or end of a root word to change its meaning or create a new word. Understanding common affixes is one of the most effective ways to expand your vocabulary, as a single prefix or suffix can unlock the meaning of dozens of related words.

For example, the prefix un- (meaning "not" or "opposite") transforms "happy" into "unhappy", "do" into "undo", and "known" into "unknown". Similarly, the suffix -tion converts verbs into nouns: "act" becomes "action", "create" becomes "creation".

Use this tool to explore words by their affixes, or try our pattern search for more advanced wildcard lookups.