Prefixes & Suffixes

What are prefixes and suffixes?

A prefix is a word part added to the front of a base word, and a suffix is a word part added to the end. Each one carries its own meaning, so adding it changes what the whole word means. Put un- (“not”) on the front of happy and you get unhappy — “not happy.” Put -ful (“full of”) on the end of help and you get helpful — “full of help.” Learning a handful of common affixes lets a reader unlock hundreds of new words.

How to use this tool

• Prefixes / Suffixes — switch which kind you want to focus on. The chips appear on the front for prefixes and on the end for suffixes.
• Tap an affix chip — it snaps onto the base word to build a new, real word, and the meaning line updates to show what it now means.
• Tap it again — take the affix off and return to the plain base word to compare.
• Hear it again — replay the base word and the new word as many times as you like.
• Next and Shuffle — move through the base words to practice more.

Affixes in this lesson

• un- = not · re- = again · pre- = before · dis- = not / the opposite
• -ful = full of · -less = without · -er = one who · -ly = in a way · -able = can be

Why it helps

Breaking words into meaningful parts — the study of morphology — is one of the most powerful ways to grow vocabulary and spelling. When a reader can see that careful is care + -ful and careless is care + -less, new words stop being something to memorize one at a time and become something to figure out. Watching the affix physically snap onto the front or the end makes an abstract idea concrete and easy to remember.

Good for

Second through sixth grade readers building vocabulary and word-attack skills. It is also a friendly review for any older student who wants to read longer, unfamiliar words with confidence.