Prefixes to boost your English

 ✍️ Prefix Power – Small Beginnings, Big Meaning

Words are powerful—but do you know what makes them even more interesting? Prefixes! These small word parts might seem tiny, but they carry a lot of meaning. With just a few letters at the beginning of a word, you can completely change its meaning. That’s why learning prefixes is such a smart move for anyone who wants to improve vocabulary, boost reading skills, and understand English faster and better.

🌟 What Are Prefixes?

Prefixes are letter groups added to the beginning of a word to change its meaning. For example:

• happy → unhappy (now it means the opposite!)
• write → rewrite (now it means to do it again!)
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They don’t stand alone—they work together with root words to create new, useful words. Once you learn the meaning of a prefix, you’ll start recognizing patterns and understanding unfamiliar words more easily.

✅ Why Learning Prefixes Matters

• Grow your vocabulary faster – One prefix unlocks many words!
• Guess meanings without a dictionary – See a new word? The prefix gives you clues.
• Understand more while reading – Texts become easier when you know how words are built.
• Speak and write more precisely – Use the right word with the right meaning.
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📌 Common Prefixes You Should Know

Prefix	Meaning	Sample Sentence
un-	not, opposite of	She was unhappy with the results.
re-	again	He had to rewrite the report.
in- / im-	not	That behavior is inappropriate.
dis-	not, opposite of	He was disqualified from the race.
mis-	wrongly, badly	She misunderstood the instructions.
non-	not	The movie was nonviolent.
pre-	before	We had a pre-interview meeting.
post-	after	He suffered from post-surgery pain.
over-	too much	She overcooked the pasta.
under-	not enough	The workers are underpaid.
sub-	under, below	The submarine went deep underwater.
super-	above, beyond	She’s a superstar in her field.
inter-	between, among	They had an international conference.
trans-	across, beyond	They traveled via transatlantic flight.
anti-	against	He takes an anti-inflammatory drug.
de-	reverse, remove	Please defrost the chicken.
ex-	former	She met her ex-boyfriend at the party.
co- / com- / con-	with, together	They co-authored a book.
en- / em-	cause to, put into	The coach encouraged the team.
pro-	in favor of, forward	She is pro-environment.
auto-	self	He drove an automatic car.
bi-	two	He attended a bilingual school.
tri-	three	A triangle has three sides.
multi-	many	She is a multilingual speaker.
mono-	one	He gave a monotonous speech.
semi-	half, partly	She lives in a semi-detached house.
tele-	far, distant	They had a teleconference.
macro-	large	The country has macroeconomic problems.
micro-	small	He used a microscope in the lab.
pseudo-	false	It’s a pseudoscientific claim.
self-	by oneself	He is a self-taught musician.
il- / ir-	not (before l/r)	It’s illegal to park here. / His behavior was irrational.

Grab a piece of paper or open your notebook. Let's practice a little.

Take notes of your answers and then compare them with the key on the video below the quiz. Watch the video for the key after doing the three activities. All answers will appear on the same screen.

📝 Prefix Power – Quiz Time!

Let’s see how much you remember! Choose the correct answers and try the bonus challenge at the end.

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Part 1 – Multiple Choice: What does the prefix mean?

1. What does the prefix “un-” mean?
   A) again
   B) before
   C) not or opposite of
   D) under

2. The prefix “pre-” means:
   A) after
   B) again
   C) before
   D) not

3. What does “mis-” mean?
   A) under
   B) wrongly or badly
   C) between
   D) against

4. What does the prefix “re-” mean?
   A) not
   B) under
   C) again
   D) before

5. The prefix “inter-” means:
   A) opposite
   B) between
   C) very big
   D) before

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Part 2 – Fill in the Blank: Choose the correct word

6. Don’t forget to _______ the oven before you put in the cake.
   A) replay
   B) preheat
   C) rewrite
   D) unheat

7. I had to _______ the report because I made a mistake.
   A) rework
   B) postwrite
   C) subwrite
   D) dewrite

8. It’s rude to _______ someone when they are speaking.
   A) disconnect
   B) intertalk
   C) interrupt
   D) overlisten

9. The internet was _______ for two hours during the storm.
   A) deactivated
   B) disconnection
   C) disconnected
   D) unconnected

10. He always _______ his keys and spends 10 minutes looking for them.
    A) mismatches
    B) misplaces
    C) displaces
    D) replaces

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Part 3 – Challenge Round: What’s the correct prefix?

11. The opposite of “appear” is _________appear.
    → Prefix: _______

12. A person who is against social interaction is called _________social.
    → Prefix: _______

13. Something that happens before school is called a _________school activity.
    → Prefix: _______

14. If you get less money than you deserve, you are _________paid.
    → Prefix: _______

15. Something that is not visible is _________visible.
    → Prefix: _______

Check your answers on this video, please.

How was it? Let me know in the comments.