The 20 Most Common PrefixesA prefix is a group of letters that when added to the beginning of a root/base word changes the meaning of that word. The following list of prefixes are the most common you will encounter, accounting for 97% of all occurrences.
Source: White, T.G., Sowell, V., and Yanagihara, A. (1999), The Reading Teacher, 42, 302-308 |
Rank |
Prefix |
Meaning
|
Percentage
|
Workbook - Year & Week
|
1
2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 |
un-
re- in- (1), im-, ir, il- dis- en-, em- non- in- (2), im- over- mis- sub- pre- inter- fore- de- trans- super- semi- anti- mid- under- |
not, opposite of
again, back not, opposite of not, opposite of, apart, reversal in, into, within, onto, thoroughly not, opposite of in, into, within, inside too much, above wrongly under, below, secondary before between, among before down, away, from, off, removal, reversal across, through, beyond above, beyond half against middle too little, below |
26%
14% 11% 7% 4% 4% 4% 3% 3% 3% 3% 3% 3% 2% 2% 1% 1% 1% 1% 1% |
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Year 1, week 2 Year 2, week 24 Year 1, week 6 Year 2, week 17 Year 2, week 6 Year 3, week 3 -------------------- -------------------- Year 1, week 3 Year 1, week 7 Year 1, week 8 -------------------- Year 2, week 4 Year 1, week 16 Year 1, week 4 Year 3, week 22 Year 1, week 21 -------------------- -------------------- |