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You know un- flips a word to its opposite. More prefixes glue onto the front: re-, dis-, mis-, pre-, anti-, auto-, and super-. Re- means again.
Re- plus turn makes which word?
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Prefixes (age 7+)
Spell words with a range of prefixes (dis-, mis-, un-, re-, pre-, anti-, auto-, super-) understanding how each prefix modifies the root word's meaning without changing its spelling
What a learner can do afterwards
- Spell words with prefixes dis-, mis-, re- correctly without altering the root (e.g., disappoint, misspell, return)
- Add prefixes un-, pre-, anti-, auto-, super- to root words and use the new word in a sentence (e.g., unhappy, preview, autograph)
- Explain how a prefix changes the meaning of a root word (e.g., 'dis-' means 'not' or 'opposite of')
1 · Read
You already know that un- flips a word to its opposite, like happy becomes unhappy. Prefixes are small word parts you glue onto the front of a word to change its meaning. This time you will meet more of them: dis-, mis-, re-, pre-, anti-, auto-, and super-. Each one changes the meaning, but the root word never changes its spelling.
Dis- means 'not' or 'opposite': disagree means to not agree. Mis- means 'wrongly': misspell means to spell a word the wrong way. Pre- means 'before': preview means to look at something before everyone else. Anti- means 'against': antifreeze works against freezing. Auto- means 'by itself': an autograph is a signature you write yourself. Super- means 'more than usual': a superhero has powers beyond a normal person's.
Try it together
Maya misread the instructions and built the shelf backwards. She had to redo the whole thing. Next time, she decided to preview each step before she started, and the shelf did not disappoint her at all.
When you add a prefix, do not add or drop any letters from the root word. Dis- + appoint stays disappoint, not dissapoint. Just glue the prefix onto the front and leave the root exactly as it is.
A prefix glues onto the front of a word and changes its meaning, but the root word's spelling always stays the same.
More to read
Common roots, prefixes, and suffixes
A prefix is a small group of letters that goes at the start of a word. It changes what the word means, but the rest of the word stays the same.
Here are some prefixes you can use:
un- means not. happy becomes unhappy. lock becomes unlock.
dis- means not or the opposite of. agree becomes disagree. appear becomes disappear.
mis- means wrong or badly. spell becomes misspell. understand becomes misunderstand.
re- means again. write becomes rewrite. play becomes replay.
pre- means before. view becomes preview, a look before the real thing. heat becomes preheat.
anti- means against. freeze becomes antifreeze, something that works against freezing.
auto- means by itself or self. graph means write, so autograph means writing your own name.
super- means above or extra. star becomes superstar, a star above the rest.
Try it yourself! Take the word kind and add un-. You get unkind. Take pack and add re-. You get repack. The root word never changes its spelling. Only the meaning changes.
Words also have roots, the part that carries the main meaning. The root port means carry. Add sup and you get support. The root graph means write. That is why autograph and photograph both have graph in them.
When you see a long new word, look for a prefix you know at the start. Peel it off, read the root, then put the meanings back together.
Explore more
به انگلیسیMaking sense of spelling - Gina Cooke
2 · Watch
به انگلیسی3 · Play
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Take it off screen
Print a worksheetA4 with an answer key page for grown-ups. No screen, no internet.
Where it sits
Learn first
Optional connections
Then practise
24 questions wait behind this lesson, each with its answer explained. Every answer feeds the sky: stars light as they are learned, and dim when it is time to come back.