What are affixes (prefixes, suffixes, etc.)?

Affixes are small word particles, usually only a few letters, added to a root word to change its meaning or
grammatical properties. Most affixes are one or two syllables, and some like –s and -es are just sounds.

Often, affixes modify a word’s definition. For instance, adding the affix re– before read creates reread,
which means “read again.” They can also be used in grammar, such as adding –ed at the end of a verb to
create the simple past tense, or adding an –s to the end of a noun to make it plural.

In morphology, affixes are a type of morpheme, a part of a word with its own meaning. For example, the
word disappearance has three morphemes: the root word appear and the two affixes dis– and –ance.

The root word appear means to “become seen,” but the affix dis– negates the meaning of the word it’s
attached to, so disappear means “become hidden.” The affix –ance turns verbs into nouns, so the final
meaning of disappearance becomes “the act of becoming hidden.”

Affixes are bound morphemes, which means they cannot be used alone and must be attached to a root
word. If you used -ance on its own without a root word, it would be incorrect and make no sense.

Keep in mind that certain affixes only work with certain root words—you can’t add any affix to any word.
For example, only the affix un– goes with the word sure; you can say unsure, but you can’t say desure or
exsure.

Why do we use affixes?

Affixes have two main purposes: grammar and simplifying communication.

First, affixes are used in English grammar: they make a word singular or plural, create new verb tenses,
and change the word class of a word. For example, you can add an –s or –es to the end of most nouns to
make them plural.

one dog

two dogs

You can also add -s or –es to the end of most verbs to make them singular for subject-verb agreement.

one dog runs

two dogs run

Second, affixes are used to make communication faster and more efficient. Instead of saying “He does
not depend on anyone,” you can simply add the affixes in– and –ent to the root word depend and make
the word independent. Saying “He is independent” is much faster and clearer than “He does not depend
on anyone.”
 What are the four types of affixes?

1 Prefixes

Prefixes are affixes that come at the beginning of a word, before a root word. Sometimes they are added
to a word to change its meaning, such as legal and illegal. Other times, they combine with other affixes to
create new words, such as adding the prefix bio– to the affix –ology to create biology.

Unlike other affixes, prefixes sometimes use a hyphen. Specifically, the prefixes all-, self-, and ex– (when
used to mean “former”) always use hyphens.

self-aware

ex-boyfriend

The Negative Nellies

Dis- means not, absence of, apart, away, or having a reversing force. Since dis- means not, what
does disoriented mean? It’s pretty simple when you know the prefix.

Mis- and mal- mean wrong or bad and are sometimes used for negation. Besides the common
mistake, these prefixes also introduce the words misaligned, misfit, malformed, and malfunction.

Im- and its variant in- mean not. Think impossible, impregnable, incapable, inconceivable.

Un- also means not. It is a very common prefix seen in words such as unstoppable, unconquered,
and unrestrained. In fact, there are quite a few prefixes that mean not. Don’t forget il- as in illogical
and ir- as in irreversible.

The Overachievers

Extra- is not just a brand of gum. As a prefix, it means beyond. Extraterrestrials live beyond the
boundaries of our earth. Extrasensory perception refers to receiving information beyond what your
senses would normally detect.

The Weights and Balances

Lots of prefixes clue us in on size. Especially large things are described with prefixes like mega- and
macro- while small things are micro- or mini-. That information can help you to buy electronics:
Would you prefer a minicomputer or one with more megabytes?

Equi- means equal, as in equidistant. The semi- of semigloss paint lets you know that it is only
partially glossy.

Other prefixes indicate quantity like over- (excess) and under- (insufficiency).
The Counters

Prefixes can tell you how much of something there is. Mono- and uni- mean one. How many wheels
does a unicycle have? How many people speak during a monologue? Bi- and di- refer to two. For a
comprehensive list of numerical prefixes, visit Factmonster.com.

The GPS Prefixes

If you like to know where things are, you will appreciate the following group of prefixes. They
designate locations. You can remember them by associating them with common examples.
Submarines go under the water. Transporters carry goods across distances from one place to
another. The infrastructure is the basic framework underlying an organization. Peripheral vision
helps you to see around yourself.

Straitlaced Prefixes

These prefixes involve time and order. Difficult words like antecedent and precedent are simpler to
decode if you remember that ante- and pre- mean before.

Post- means after. Retro- signifies backward. Prim(e)- denotes first.

2 Suffixes

Suffixes are affixes that come at the end of a word, after the root word. Unlike prefixes, which mostly
change a word’s meaning, suffixes are mainly used for grammar purposes:

​ verb conjugation (work -> worked)

​ plurality (fox -> foxes)
​ possession (Juliana -> Juliana’s)
​ reflexive pronouns (them -> themselves)
​ comparatives and superlatives (fast -> faster, fastest)
​ changing word class (swim -> swimmer)

Suffixes for regular verb for present participles and to Suffixes for noun and
conjugations create gerunds pronoun grammar
-s, -es, -ies
-s, -es, -ies going, swimming, sleeping
the plural form of regular
first-person singular for the -ed, -d, -ied nouns
simple present tense
for the simple past tense and chairs, lunches, puppies
grows, passes, carries past participles
-’s,
-ing worked, liked, replied
the possessive form of nouns
 Suffixes for adjectives
school’s, India’s, humanity’s betrayal, denial, tribunal -able, -ible

-self, -selves -ance, -ence comfortable, unstoppable,

edible
creates reflexive pronouns ambiance, correspondence,
that refer back to the subject maintenance -al

myself, ourselves, oneself -ant personal, coastal, optimal

Suffixes for comparative and defendant, hydrant, coolant -esque

superlative
-er, -ier -er, -or novelesque, picturesque,
Kafkaesque
the comparative form of player, actor, baker
adjectives for comparing two -ful
things -ism
wonderful, beautiful, colorful
harder, faster, stronger minimalism, liberalism,
capitalism -ic, -ical
-est, -iest
-ist basic, atomic, clinical
the superlative form of
adjectives for showing the top artist, colonist, communist -ish
within a category
-ity, -ty stylish, brutish, childish
biggest, latest, scariest
rarity, nationality, beauty -ive
Examples of suffixes in
English: Derivational -logy, -ology creative, progressive,
Suffixes for verbs vindictive
-ate psychology, biology,
terminology -less
congratulate, enunciate,
regulate -ment harmless, worthless, timeless

-en agreement, merriment, -like

statement
strengthen, brighten, awaken catlike, warlike, guitarlike
-ness
-ify, -fy -ous, -ious
sweetness, darkness,
electrify, liquify, testify loveliness rigorous, various, disastrous

-ize (-ise in British English) -ship -y

demonize, legalize, neutralize internship, kinship, hairy, funny, nerdy

citizenship
Suffixes for nouns Suffix for adverbs
-acy, -cy -tion, -sion, -ation, -ion -ly, -ily

normalcy, privacy, delicacy animation, extension, slowly, carefully, happily

suspicion
-al
You find suffixes at the ends of words. Like prefixes, they are a rich source of information about a
word. Have you ever seen blue or pink balloons at a baby shower? Some parents use colors to
indicate the sex of their new baby. In the same way, some suffixes announce what part of speech a
word is. Here are some examples.

“It’s a Noun”

The following suffixes are usually found at the end of nouns: -ance, -ation, -ness, -ism, -ment, -ship.

Beyond giving clues to the part of speech, suffixes also carry meaning. The endings -er, -or, -ist, or
-yst are commonly added to words for people who perform certain tasks or activities. Examples
include programmer, calculator, analyst, and abolitionist.

“It’s a Verb”

There are several suffixes associated with the meaning to make. By combining the baseactive with
the suffix -ate, you create the word activate, which means to make active.

Other suffixes with this meaning are -ize, -ise, -ify, and -en. What verbs do you know that end with
these suffixes?

“It’s an Adverb”

In the majority of cases, adverbs are formed by adding -ly to an adjective. For instance, beautiful
becomes beautifully. If the adjective already ends with a y as in easy, you would replace the y with
-ily to form the adverb easily. There is a special rule for adjectives ending in -able, -ible, or -le:
replace the -e with -y. For most words ending in -ic (with the exception of public) add -ally.

“It’s an Adjective”

Brownish is a color strongly reminiscent of brown, but not quite brown. People have a lot of fun with
-ish because it means similar. You may even hear someone use this suffix alone in response to a
question. Sally and Peter are dating, aren’t they? …Ish! The slang use of the suffix means
“something like that.”

-Al, -ar, -ed, -ic, -ical, and -ive signify having the quality of. Magnetic objects, for example, have
qualities of magnets.

The -ous of dangerous means full of or like, while -less means without.
3 Infixes

Infixes are a special type of affix that comes in the middle of a word. However, the English language
doesn’t use infixes. Infixes are more common in other languages, including Greek, Austronesian
languages like Tagalog, and Indigenous American languages like Choctaw.

4 Circumfixes

Circumfixes are pairs of prefixes and suffixes always used together. Circumfixes in English are very rare,
but the circumfix of en– and –en is seen in the common word enlighten, and the circumfix of em– and –en
is seen in embolden.

How do you identify affixes?

Knowing how to identify affixes can help you learn and understand new words, even if it’s your first time
seeing them. When you’re familiar with an affix’s meaning, you can guess a new word’s definition, as long
as you understand the root word.

For example, if you know the word cute then you can probably guess what the word cuteness means. The
suffix –ness is used to change adjectives into nouns, so it’s easy to see that cuteness is just the noun
form of the adjective cute.

The best way to identify affixes is to familiarize yourself with common prefixes and suffixes. When you
learn to recognize the most used affixes, you’ll be able to guess the meaning of any word that uses them.