Dictionary of Prefixes and Suffixes: Useful English Affixes

AFFIX

A letter or group of letters added to the beginning or end of a word to get a new word with a changed meaning.

Examples –

im- in impossible; inter- in international

-able in agreeable; -er in learner

English Affixes could be divided into two groups:

Prefixes and Suffixes

PREFIX

A letter or group of letters added to the beginning of a word to get a new word with a changed meaning.

Examples –

im- in impossible; inter- in international; un- in unaffected

SUFFIX

A letter or group of letters added to the end of a word to get a new word with a changed meaning.

Examples –

-able in agreeable; -er in learner; -ness in quickness

Sample This:

ENGLISH PREFIXES – A

a-

Used to form: adjectives, adverbs and nouns

General meaning: not, without

Examples:

acellular / amoral / apolitical / atheism / atheist / atypical

ad-

Used to form: nouns and verbs

General meaning: addition, tendency

Examples:

adjoin / adjudge / admixture

ambi-

Used to form: adjectives, adverbs and nouns

General meaning: both of two

Examples:

ambidexterity / ambidextrous / ambivalence / ambivalent

ante-

Used to form: adjectives, nouns and verbs

General meaning: prior to; in front of

Examples:

antedate / antenatal / anterior / ante-room

anti-

Used to form: adjectives and nouns

General meaning: against; the opposite of; preventing

Examples:

anti-aircraft / anti-bacterial / antibiotic / antibody / anti-choice / anticlerical / anticlimax / anticlockwise / anticoagulant / anti-competitive / anti-copying / anti-corruption / anticyclone / antidepressant / anti-drug / anti-encroachment / anti-extremism / antifreeze / anti-globalization / anti-graft / antigravity / anti-hate / anti-hero / anti-inflammatory / anti-liquor / anti-lock / anti-malarial / anti-national / antioxidant / antiparticle / anti-people / anti-personnel / antiperspirant / anti-poaching / antipyretic / antiretroviral / anti-rowdy / anti-sabotage / antiseptic / antisocial / anti-stalking / antitank / anti-terror / anti-terrorism / anti-theft / antitrust / antiviral / antivirus

ENGLISH SUFFIXES – A

-able

Used to form: adjectives, adverbs and nouns

General meaning: that can, should or must be done; having the characteristic of

Examples:

adaptable / agreeable / amenable / amicable / appreciable / approachable / assessable / avertable / avoidable / believable / breakable / calculable / changeable / chargeable / comfortable / companionable / computable / conceivable / controllable / curable / decipherable / declarable / desirable / detectable / detestable / doable / enjoyable / escapable / excitable / explainable / explicable / exploitable / fashionable / foreseeable / graspable / honorable / imaginable / imperturbable / indubitable / inevitable / justifiable / manageable / moveable / noticeable / observable / payable / pleasurable / portable / preventable / punishable / quantifiable / questionable / ratable / reachable / readable / reasonable / reckonable / recognizable / reliable / reputable / respectable / serviceable / sociable / stoppable / taxable / traceable / transferable / translatable / transportable / understandable / usable / utilizable / variable / washable / wearable / workable

-ability

Used to form: nouns

General meaning: a level of skill, intelligence, etc.

Example:

capability / curability / excitability / inescapability / inevitability / playability / preventability / serviceability / unavoidability / usability / workability

-ably

Used to form: adverbs

General meaning: skillful and well; in a particular manner

Examples:

affably / capably / charitably / comfortably / demonstrably / indisputably / inevitably / irritably / notably / noticeably / presumably / probably / reasonably / remarkably

-acy

Used to form: nouns

General meaning: the position, quality, state or status of

Examples:

accuracy / adequacy / delicacy / democracy / intimacy / primacy / privacy / supremacy