The larger your vocabulary is, the faster you can read because you don’t stumble as often on words you don’t know or recognize. When you read words that you’re already familiar with, you read beyond the words for their meanings. In the act of reading, you absorb ideas, thoughts, feelings, and descriptions — not individual words. You see the forest, not the trees.
One way to get a head start on expanding your vocabulary is to be able to recognize and interpret prefixes, roots, and suffixes in words. Many English words are constructed from the same prefixes, roots, and suffixes. Master these affixes (as linguists call them) and you can interpret many words you don’t understand without having to resort to a dictionary.
A prefix appears at the beginning of a word to give the word a new inflection or meaning. The following table lists common prefixes and their meanings and lists example words to help you understand what these prefixes do to words.
| Prefix | Meaning | Example Words |
|---|---|---|
| a/an | not, lacking in | amoral, anarchy, asymmetrical |
| ab | apart from | abdicate, abnormal, abduct |
| ante | before | antechamber, antedate, antecedent |
| anti | against | anticlimax, antimatter, antipathy |
| arch | supreme | archbishop, archenemy, archetype |
| auto | self | autobiography, autocrat, autoimmune |
| be | beset with | becalm, beguile, bewildered |
| bi | two | bicycle, binary, bipartisan |
| co | accompanying | cooperation, coordinator, coworker |
| contra | opposite | contraception, contradict, contravene |
| counter | in opposition | counteract, counterbalance, counterpoint |
| de | reverse | debrief, decompress, deface |
| demi | half | demigod, demitasse, demimonde |
| dis | opposite of | disagree, disenfranchise, disinherit, |
| en (em) | put into effect | empower, empurple, enforce, enlighten |
| epi | on, over | epicenter, epidermis, epitaph |
| ex | out | exotic, exterior, exoskeleton |
| fore | before | forecast, foreclose, forerunner |
| in | not | inept, inexact, inhospitable |
| inter | between | interchangeable, interrelated, interact |
| ir | not | irrational, irregular, irrelevant |
| mal | badly | maladroit, malcontent, malnourished |
| micro | small | micromanage, microorganism, microscope |
| mid | middle | midday, midlife, midnight |
| mis | wrong | misguided, misinformation, misplace |
| neo | new | neoclassic, neoconservative, neologism |
| non | not | nondescript, nonentity, nonstop |
| omni | all | omnibus, omnipotent, omniscient |
| out | beyond | outcast, outlaw, outreach |
| over | in excess of | overcharge, overpower, overreact, |
| paleo | old | Paleolithic, Paleozoic, paleontology |
| para | beside | paralegal, paraphrase, paraprofessional |
| per | completely | permeate, permutated |
| poly | many | polygamy, polygon, polytheism |
| post | after | postgraduate, postpone, postscript |
| pre | before | prefix, preview, prescient |
| quasi | partly | quasi-intelligent, quasi-happy |
| re | again | rerun, revamp, revise |
| retro | backward | retrofit, retrograde, restrospect |
| self | self | self-confident, self-defense, self-sufficient |
| semi | half | semicircle, semi-developed, semifinal |
| step | family relation | stepparent, stepbrother, stepsister |
| sub | under, lesser | subconscious, subcommittee, subterranean |
| super | over, more | superhero, supernatural, superpower |
| syn | together | synchronize, syncopation, synthesis |
| trans | across | transatlantic, transcontinental, transverse |
| ultra | extremely | ultracritical, ultraviolet, ultrared |
| un | not | ungrammatical, unidentified, unnecessary |
| under | below, less | underachieve, underdog, underground |