An affix is a bound morpheme that attaches to another morpheme to form either a new word or a new form of the same word.
The two types of affixes in English are prefixes and suffixes.
Affixes may be derivational or inflectional. Derivational affixes create new words. Inflectional affixes create new forms of the same word.
Derivational
Derivational is an adjective that refers to the formation of a new word from another word through derivational affixes.
In English, both prefixes and suffixes are derivational.
Inflectional
Inflectional is an adjective that refers to the formation of a new form of the same word through inflectional affixes.
In English, only suffixes are inflectional.
Bases
Many morphemes that other sources list as prefixes or suffixes are actually bases. A base is a morpheme that forms the foundation of a word. A free base is a morpheme that can stand on its own as a word. A bound base must attach to another morpheme to create a word. Bound bases are often misidentified as prefixes or suffixes.
“text-align: center; width:30%”>Base | “text-align: center;”>Meaning | “text-align: center;”>Example | |
After | following after, behind | After + Glow -> afterglow | |
Arch | ruling, dominating, most extreme | an + Arch -> anarch | |
Alg | pain | an + Alg + ese + ic -> analgesic | |
Astr | star | Astr + al -> astral | |
Aut | self | Aut + ism -> autism | |
Back | behind | Back + Date -> backdate | |
Bi | life | Bi + ome -> biome | |
By | near to, next to | By + Pass -> bypass | |
Cide | act of killing | Home + i + Cide -> homicide | |
Circ | around, surrounding | Cirm + um + Vent -> circumvent | |
Cracy | rule, government, power | Deme + o + Cracy -> Democracy | |
Crat | someone who has power | Techn + o + Crat -> technocrat | |
Cry | icy cold, chill, frost | Cry + ic -> cryic | |
Crypt | hidden, secret | en + Crypt + ion -> encryption | |
Cycle | circle, wheel | re + Cycle -> recycle | |
Deme | people | Deme + o + Graph + ic + s -> demographics | |
Deuter | second | Deuter + i + um -> deuterium | |
Down | from higher/greater to lower/lesser | Down + Town -> downtown | |
Dox | belief, praise | para + Dox -> paradox | |
Du | two | Du + al -> dualDu + o -> duoDu + et -> duet | |
Ece | house, dwelling place, habitation | Ece + o + sy + St + em -> ecosystem | |
Electr | electric, electricity | Electr + ic -> electric | |
Eme | blood | an + Eme + i + a -> anemia | |
Equ | same | Equ + al -> equalEqu + i + ty -> equity | |
Extra | outside | Extra + Curr + ic + ule + ar -> extracurricular | |
Fic(e) | make, cause, do | Sacr + i + Fice -> sacrificeHorr + I + Fic(e) -> horrific | |
Fore | before, in front | Fore + Arm -> forearm | |
Fy | make, cause makes the word a verb | False + i + Fy -> falsify | |
Gam | marriage, union | poly + Game + y -> polygamy | |
Ge | relating to the earth or its surface | Ge + o + Loge + y -> geology | |
Gon(e) | angle | Penta + Gone + al -> pentagonal | |
Gyre | circle, ring | Gyre + oid -> gyroid | |
Hind | after | Hind + Sight -> hindsight | |
Hood | state, condition, or quality | Child + Hood -> childhood | |
Hydr | water | Hydr + ate -> hydrate | |
Iatr | healing practice | Pede + Iatr + ic -> pediatric | |
Loge | study | Cardi + o + Loge + y -> cardiology | |
Log(ue) | speech | dia + Log(ue) -> dialog(ue) | |
Macr | long, abnormally large, on a large scale | Macr + on -> macron | |
Micr | small, little, petty, trivial, slight | Micr + on -> micron | |
Mult | many | Mult + Ang + le -> multangle | |
Necr | dead, death | Necr + osis -> necrosis | |
Off | non-standard, away | Off + Set -> offset | |
On | immediate proximity, locative | On + Go + ing -> ongoing | |
Onym | name, word | Aut + Onym -> autonym | |
Ope | eye | hyper + Ope + i + a hyperopia | |
Ops | sight examination | Necr + Ops + y -> necropsy | |
Orth | correcting or straightening | Orth + o + Pede + ic | |
Out | better, faster, longer, farther | Out + er -> outer | |
Over | excessive, above | Over + ly -> overly | |
Paleo | old | Paleo + Lith + ic -> paleolithic | |
Path | feeling, suffering, emotion; disorder, disease | Psych + o + Path + y -> psychopathy | |
Ped(e) | foot | Pede + al -> pedal | |
Pede | child | Pede + Iatr + ic + i + an -> pediatrician | |
Phile | love | Pyre + o + Phile -> pyrophile | |
Phobe | fear | Xene + o + Phobe + i + a -> xenophobia | |
Phone | sound | homo + Phone -> homophone | |
Phote | light | Phote + o + Graph -> photograph | |
Phyte | plant, to grow | epi + Phyte -> epiphyte | |
Plege | paralysis, strike | para + Plege + i + a -> paraplegia | |
Pod(e) | foot | Pode + i + um -> podium | |
Prote | first, original | Prote + on -> proton | |
Pseud | false, imitation | Pseud + Onym -> pseudonym | |
Pyre | fire | Pyre + o + Techn + ic -> pyrotechnic | |
Quasi | partly, almost, appearing to be but not really | quasi-religious | |
Retr | backwards | Retr + al -> retral | |
Scope | visual exam | Gastr + o + Scope + y -> gastroscopy | |
Scribe | write | de + Scribe -> describe | |
Script | write | tran + Script -> transcript | |
Sect | cut | bi + Sect -> bisect | |
Self | self | One + Self -> oneself | |
Ship | state or condition of, skill of | Fri + end + Ship -> friendship | |
Soci | of companionship, of allies | Soci + al -> social | |
Some | characterized by, group of | Four + Some -> foursome Loath + Some -> loathsome | |
Soph | wisdom, knowledge | Anthrope + o + Soph + ic + anthroposophic | |
Step | family relation by remarriage | Step + Mother -> stepmother | |
Super | above, over | Super + Vise + or -> supervisor | |
Tele | at a distance | Tele + Phone -> telephone | |
Tome | cut | Mast + ec + Tome + y -> mastectomy | |
Tri | three | Tri + Cycle -> tricycle | |
Troph | nourishment, growth | a + Troph + y -> atrophy | |
Twi | two | Twi + Light -> twilight | |
Under | below, beneath, lower in grade or dignity, lesser, insufficient | Under + ling -> underling | |
Une | one, consisting of only one | Une + i + Verse + al -> universal | |
Up | greater, higher, better | Up + Right -> upright | |
Vice | deputy | Vice + Rege + ent -> viceregent | |
Ware | things of the same type or material | Hard + Ware -> hardware | |
Wise | in what manner or direction | Clock + Wise -> clockwise | |
With | against, opposite, from, toward, by, near | With + Hold -> withhold |
Connecting Vowels
A connecting vowel is a <e>, <i>, <o>, or <u> that joins together two morphemes. For example:
- Corn + e + al -> corneal
- Sign + i + Fy -> signify
- Ge + o + Graph + y -> geography
- Vace + u + um -> vacuum
Prefixes
A prefix is a bound morpheme that attaches to the beginning of another morpheme to form either a new word or a new form of the same word.
Prefixes are types of affixes.
All prefixes in English are derivational, meaning the affixes create new words.
A connecting vowel often follows a prefix.
Prefix | Meaning | Example |
a- | predicative adjective with progressive aspect | awake, afloat, atremble |
a-/an- | not, without | acyclic, asexual, atonal, atheist, anemic |
amb-/am-/an- | both | ambidextrous, ambitendency, amputate |
amph- | around, two, both, on both sides | amphiaster, amphitheatre, amphibian |
an-/ana- | up, against | anacardiaceous, anode, analog |
ante- | before | antenatal, antechamber, antedate |
ant- | against, opposite | anticlimax, anti-freeze, antiviral, antagonist, antivenom |
ap-/apo- | away from, detached | aphelion, apogee, apomorphine |
be- | equipped with, covered with, beset with | bedeviled, becalm, bedazzle, bewitch |
bi- | two | bicycle, biped |
cis- | on this side of | cislunar, cisgender |
co-/col-/com-/con-/cor- | together, with, joint | coworker, coordinator, cooperation, cohabit, colleague, commingle, confederation, correlation |
contra-/contr- | opposite | contradict, contraindication, contralateral |
counter- | against, in opposition to | counteract, counterpart, counterfeit |
de- | reverse action, get rid of | debug, de-emphasize |
de- | down | depress, descend |
demi- | half | demigod, demiquaver |
di- | two | digraph, dicotyledon, digamy, dioxide |
dia- | through | dialysis, diameter |
di-/dif-/dis- | apart | differ, dissect, divide |
dis- | not, opposite of, reverse action | disagree, disloyal, disconnect, disinformation |
el-/em-/en- | in | ellipsis, emphasis, energetic |
em-/en- | to make into, to put into, to get into | empower, enmesh |
ep-/epi- | upon, at, close upon, in addition | ephemeron, epicentre, epidermis |
ex- | former | ex-wife, ex-husband, ex-boss, ex-colleague, ex-friend |
ex- | out of | exit, expel, explode, exploit, explore, export |
heter/o- | different | heterosexual, heteronym |
hemi- | half | hemimorphic, hemisphere |
hom/o- | same | homogenous, homologous |
hyper- | excess, above, over | hyperthermia |
hyp/o- | deficient, under or below something, low | hypothermia, hypotonia, hyponatremia, hypothermia |
il-/im-/in-/ir- | not, opposite of | illicit, impossible, inexact, irregular |
in- | in, into | insert, include |
infra- | below, beneath | infrared |
inter- | among, between | internet, intercede, international |
intra- | inside, within | intravenous |
is/o- | equal | isochromatic, isotherm |
mal- | badly | malnourish, maladjusted |
maxi- | very long, very large | maxi-skirt |
mega-/megalo- | great, large | megastar, megalopolis |
meta- | after, along with, beyond, among, behind | metabolism, metaphysics |
mid- | middle | midstream, midlife |
mini- | small | minimarket, mini-room, minivan |
mis- | wrong, astray | misinformation, misguide, misfortune |
mon/o- | sole, only | monogamy, monotone, monosyllabic |
neo- | new | neolithic, neoether |
non- | not | nonexistent, noncompete |
omni- | all | omnipotent, omnipresent, omnivore |
pan- | all, worldwide | pan-African, pandemic, panorama |
para- | beside, beyond | parallel, paraplegic, parasail |
per- | through, completely, wrongly, exceedingly | permeate, permute |
peri- | around, near or adjacent | perihelion, periphrase |
pleo-/pleio- | more | pleonasm, pleiotypic |
poly- | many | polygon, polyhedron |
post- | after, behind | postposition, post-election, post-graduation, post-war, postfix, postpone, postscript |
pre- | before | preposition, prevent, previous, pre-election, pre-enter, pre-select, predict, prepare, preview |
preter- | beyond, past, more than | preternatural |
pro- | for, forward, in favor of | propulsion, propound, proponent |
pro- | for, substitute, deputy | proconsul, pronoun |
pro- | before | procambium |
pros- | toward | prosthesis, proselyte, prosodemic |
re- | again, back | redo, revisit, rerun, reorganize |
semi- | half | semicircle |
sub-/sup- | below, under | submarine, subterranean, suburban, support |
supra- | above, over | suprarenal |
sur- | above, over | surreal, surrender, surplus |
sy-/syl-/sym-/syn- | together, with | syllable, symbol, synthesis, system |
trans- | across, over | transatlantic, transverse, transform |
uber- | a lot, great | uberchic, ubergeek, ubersexual, uberwealthy |
ultr/a- | beyond | ultramagnetic, ultrasonic, ultraviolet |
un- | not, against, opposite of, reverse action, deprive of, release from | undesirable, undo, unequal, unexpected, unhappy, unlock, unnecessary, untie |
Suffixes
A suffix is a bound morpheme that attaches to the end of another morpheme to form either a new word or a new form of the same word.
Suffixes are types of affixes.
Suffixes in English may be derivational, meaning the suffixes create new words, or inflectional, meaning the suffixes create new forms of the same word.
Inflectional Suffix | Meaning | Example |
-s/-es | third person singular present | eats, washes |
-ed | simple past, regular past participle | called, smiled |
-en | irregular past participle | eaten, written |
-ing | present participle | marking, arguing, writing |
-s/-es | plural | cats, dogs, watches, axes |
-‘s/-‘* | possessive | Heather’s, daughters’ |
-er | comparative | faster, prettier |
-est | superlative | fastest, prettiest |
*The possessive ‘s and ‘ is technically a clitic, not a suffix. A clitic is a morpheme with the syntactic characteristics of a word but phonologically depends on another word or phrase.
Derivational Suffix | Meaning | Example |
-able | able to be | agreeable, excitable, likeable, portable, preventable |
-ac | pertaining to | cardiac, hemophiliac, maniac |
-ade | act, action or process, product | accolade, blockade, cavalcade, promenade |
-age | action or process | passage, pilgrimage, voyage |
-aholic/-oholic | one with an obsession for | workaholic, shopaholic, alcoholic |
-al | relating to | bacterial, theatrical, natural |
-an | relating to, belonging to | Italian, urban, African, American, suburban |
-ance | state or quality of | brilliance, defiance, annoyance |
-ant | a person who | applicant, immigrant, servant |
-ant | inclined to, tending to | brilliant, defiant, vigilant |
-ar | of or relating to, being | lunar, molecular, solar |
-ar | a person who | beggar, burglar, liar |
-ard | a person who does an action | coward, drunkard, sluggard, wizard |
-ary | of or relating to | literary, military, budgetary |
-ate | state or quality of | affectionate, desolate, obstinate |
-ate | makes the word a verb | activate, evaporate, medicate |
-cule | diminutive, making something small | capsule, miniscule, molecule, ridicule |
-dom | condition of, state, realm | boredom, freedom, wisdom |
-ee | receiver, performer | nominee, employee, devotee |
-eer | associated with/engaged in | auctioneer, engineer, volunteer |
-ence | state or condition, action | absence, dependence, negligence |
-ence + y | condition or quality | clemency, dependency, efficiency |
-ent | inclined to performing/causing, or one who performs/causes | competent, correspondent, absorbent |
-er | action or process | flutter, ponder, stutter |
-er | a person who does an action | announcer, barber, teacher |
-ern | state or quality of | eastern, northern, western |
-ese | relating to a place | Chinese, Congolese, Vietnamese |
-esque | in the style of | Kafkaesque, grotesque, burlesque |
-ess | female | actress, heiress, lioness |
-et + ic | relating to | athletic, energetic, poetic |
-ette | diminutive, make something smaller | cigarette, diskette, kitchenette |
-ful | full of | helpful, thankful, cheerful |
-i + al | relating to | celestial, editorial, martial |
-i + an | relating to | Martian, utopian, pediatrician |
-i + asis | diseased condition | elephantiasis, psoriasis |
-ible | able to be | audible, plausible, legible |
-ic | relating to, characterized by | analytic/al, comic/al, organic |
-ile | relating to, capable of | agile, docile, volatile |
-i + ly | in what manner | sloppily, steadily, zanily |
-ine | relating to | canine, feminine, masculine |
-ing | materials | bedding, frosting, roofing |
-ion | action or process | celebration, completion, navigation |
-ion | state or quality | attention, caution, confusion, fascination |
-i + ous | having the qualities of, full of | ambitious, cautious, gracious |
-ish | relating to, characteristic | apish, brutish, childish |
-ism | state or quality | altruism, despotism, heroism |
-ist | a person, one who does an action | artist, linguist, pianist |
-ite | resident of, follower, product of | suburbanite, luddite, dynamite |
-itis | inflammation | appendicitis, tonsillitis |
-i + ty | state, condition, or quality | abnormality, civility, necessity |
-ive | inclined to, quality of, that which | attractive, expensive, repulsive |
-ize | cause, treat, become | antagonize, authorize, popularize |
-less | without | fearless, helpless, homeless |
-let | version of | booklet, droplet, inlet |
-like | resembling, characteristic | childlike, homelike, lifelike |
-ling | younger or inferior | duckling, underling |
-ly | in what manner | badly, courageously, happily |
-ment | action, result | movement, placement, shipment |
-ness | state or quality | kindness, shyness, weakness |
-o + id | resembling | humanoid, tabloid, hemorrhoid |
-oma | tumor, swelling | carcinoma, osteoma, hematoma |
-or | a person who | inventor, legislator, translator |
-or + y | relating to | armory, dormitory, laboratory |
-osis | process, diseased condition | diagnosis, prognosis, neurosis, psychosis |
-ous | full of | hazardous, humorous, wondrous |
-th | state or quality | depth, length, strength |
-ty | state, condition or quality | ability, honesty, loyalty |
-ule + ar | relating to or resembling | cellular, circular, muscular |
-u + ous | state or quality of | arduous, tumultuous, virtuous |
-ure | action, condition | closure, erasure, failure |
-ward | specifies direction | backward, eastward, homeward |
-y | made up of, characterized | brainy, fruity, geeky, gooey nerdy |
Morpheme Database
See also my morpheme database, which is a work in progress, for more bases, prefixes, and suffixes in the English language. I update my database as I work on my own word studies. Please feel free to contact me if you find an error.
Affixes are bound morphemes that attach to the stem of a word to form either a new word or a new form of the same word. Prefixes and suffixes are the two types of affixes in the English language.
See Teach a Student to Read and Linguist-Educator Exchange for more information about morphemes in the English language.