Prefixes, Suffixes and Compound Words Prefix

A prefix is a group of letters added to the beginning of a word.

Examples:

happy → unhappy

agree → disagree

write → rewrite

possible → impossible

Common JSS1 Prefixes

Prefix

Example

un-

unhappy

dis-

dislike

re-

rewrite

im-

impossible

pre-

preview

Suffix

A suffix is a group of letters added to the end of a word.

Examples:

kind → kindness

teach → teacher

care → careful

hope → hopeless

quick → quickly

Common Suffixes

-ness

-ful

-less

-er

-ly

Compound Words

A compound word is formed by joining two words to make a new word.

Examples:

foot + ball = football

class + room = classroom

note + book = notebook

tooth + paste = toothpaste

sun + light = sunlight