Prefixes and Suffixes

Lots of the words we use are formed by adding other parts of words to them to create new words. Let’s look at some terminology before we explore this further:

A stem, sometimes known as the root, is the base part of the word that is usually a complete word on its own. I.e. agree

Prefixes are parts of words that go before the stem to alter or add to the meaning. I.e. disagree.

Suffixes are parts of words that go after the stem to alter or add to the meaning. I.e. disagreement.

Learning what prefixes and suffixes mean can really help you with your spelling, as well as being able to decode the meaning of new words.