84 cards

Prefix Flashcards

Say what the prefix means, then turn the card for its meaning and two example words.

Prefix Flashcards

counter-

Tap or click the card to see the answer.

What is on this card?

Show only

Next step Spell un, dis and mis words from the prefix lists Play prefix and suffix bingo with the class

All 84 cards

Not and opposite 12

anti- Against. antifreeze: works against freezing. antibacterial: against bacteria.
counter- Against. counterclockwise: against the way a clock turns. counterattack: an attack in return.
de- Remove or undo. defrost: take the frost off. decode: undo a code.
dis- Not. disagree: not agree. dishonest: not honest.
il- Not: in- before l. illegal: not legal. illogical: not logical.
im- Not: in- before b, m or p. impossible: not possible. impatient: not patient.
in- Not. incorrect: not correct. invisible: not able to be seen.
ir- Not: in- before r. irregular: not regular. irresponsible: not responsible.
mal- Bad or badly. malfunction: work badly. malnutrition: bad nutrition.
mis- Wrongly or badly. misspell: spell wrongly. misbehave: behave badly.
non- Not. nonfiction: not fiction, so true. nonstop: without a stop.
un- Not, or undo. unhappy: not happy. untie: undo a knot.

Show all 84 cards (72 more)

Number 12

bi- Two. bicycle: two wheels. bilingual: speaking two languages.
centi- Hundred or hundredth. centipede: hundred feet. centimeter: a hundredth of a meter.
deca- Ten. decagon: ten angles. decathlon: ten events, with dec- before a vowel.
kilo- Thousand. kilogram: 1,000 grams. kilometer: 1,000 meters.
mono- One. monorail: one rail. monolingual: speaking one language.
multi- Many. multicolored: of many colors. multiplayer: for many players.
octo- Eight. octopus: eight feet. It is octa- in octagon: eight angles.
penta- Five. pentagon: five angles. pentathlon: five events.
quadri- Four. quadrilateral: four sides. quadriceps: a muscle with four heads.
semi- Half. semicircle: half a circle. semifinal: the round before the final.
tri- Three. triangle: three angles. tricycle: three wheels.
uni- One. unicycle: one wheel. unicorn: one horn.

More numbers and measures 12

ambi- Both. ambidextrous: good with both hands. ambivalent: pulled both ways.
deci- Tenth. decimeter: a tenth of a meter. decibel: a tenth of a bel.
di- Two. digraph: two letters for one sound. dioxide: two oxygen atoms.
dodeca- Twelve. dodecagon: twelve angles. dodecahedron: a solid with twelve faces.
equi- Equal. equilateral: with equal sides. equidistant: at an equal distance.
giga- Billion. gigabyte: a billion bytes. gigawatt: a billion watts.
hecto- Hundred. hectometer: 100 meters. hectare: 100 ares, with hect- before a vowel.
hepta- Seven. heptagon: seven angles. heptathlon: seven events.
hexa- Six. hexagon: six angles. hexapod: a thing with six legs.
nano- Billionth. nanosecond: a billionth of a second. nanometer: a billionth of a meter.
tera- Trillion. terabyte: a trillion bytes. terawatt: a trillion watts.
tetra- Four. tetrahedron: a solid with four faces. tetrapod: a thing with four feet.

When and where 12

circum- Around. circumference: the line around a circle. circumnavigate: sail around.
ex- Out. exhale: breathe out. expel: drive out.
fore- Before or in front. forecast: tell before. forehead: the front of the head.
inter- Between. international: between nations. interact: act on each other.
mid- Middle. midnight: the middle of the night. midway: in the middle of the way.
peri- Around. perimeter: the measure around. periscope: for looking around.
post- After. postwar: after a war. postpone: put off until after.
pre- Before. preheat: heat before cooking. preview: a look before.
re- Again or back. rewrite: write again. repay: pay back.
sub- Under. submarine: under the sea. subway: a way under the ground.
tele- From a distance. telephone: sound from far. telescope: for seeing far.
trans- Across. transport: carry across. transatlantic: across the Atlantic.

Direction 12

ab- Away from. abnormal: away from the normal. absent: being away.
ad- To or toward. adhere: stick to. adverb: a word added to another word.
after- After. afternoon: the hours after noon. aftertaste: a taste that stays after.
by- Near or aside. bystander: one who stands near. bypass: a road that passes around.
contra- Against. contradict: speak against. contrast: stand against, so differ.
down- Down or lower. downhill: down a slope. downstairs: on a lower floor.
intra- Within. intramural: within the walls of one school. intranet: a network inside one group.
intro- Inward. introvert: one turned inward. introspection: a looking inward.
off- Away from. offshore: away from the shore. offline: not connected to a network.
retro- Backward. retrospect: a look back. retroactive: reaching back in time.
up- Up or higher. upstairs: up the stairs. upgrade: a step up to something better.
with- Back or away. withdraw: draw back. withhold: hold back.

Size and degree 12

extra- Beyond. extraordinary: beyond the ordinary. extraterrestrial: from beyond Earth.
hyper- Over. hyperactive: more active than usual. hypersensitive: too sensitive.
mega- Very large. megaphone: makes a voice louder. megastore: a very large store.
micro- Very small. microscope: for looking at small things. microchip: a very small chip.
mini- Small. minibus: a small bus. minivan: a small van.
omni- All. omnivore: eats plants and meat alike. omnipresent: present everywhere.
out- More than. outrun: run faster than. outnumber: be more in number than.
over- Too much, or above. overcook: cook too long. overflow: flow over the top.
poly- Many. polygon: many angles. polysyllabic: of many syllables.
super- Above or beyond. superhuman: beyond human. supermarket: a very large market.
ultra- Beyond. ultraviolet: beyond violet light. ultrasound: sound beyond hearing.
under- Too little, or below. underpaid: paid too little. underground: below the ground.

With, self and make 12

a- On or in. asleep: in sleep. ashore: on the shore.
auto- Self. autograph: your name in your own writing. autopilot: steers by itself.
be- Make. befriend: make a friend of. belittle: make seem little.
co- Together. cooperate: work together. coworker: someone you work with.
com- Together: con- before b, m or p. combine: join together. compress: press together.
con- Together. connect: fasten together. construct: pile together, so build.
em- Make: en- before b or p. empower: give power to. embed: set into something.
en- Make, or put into. enlarge: make large. endanger: put in danger.
pro- Forward. proceed: go forward. propel: push forward.
self- Oneself. self-control: control of oneself. self-portrait: a portrait of oneself.
sym- With: syn- before b, m or p. sympathy: feeling with someone. symphony: sounding together.
syn- With. synonym: a word that goes with another in meaning. synchronize: set to one time.

How this list was compiled: Own choice of prefixes and example words, in our own words. Checked on 2026-10-09. The meaning of each prefix, and which spelling stands before which letter (im-, il- and ir- for in-; com- for con-; sym- for syn-; em- for en-; dec- for deca-; hect- for hecto-): the prefix's English entry in Wiktionary, https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/un- and the same address for the other 83. Each of the 168 example words was read in its own Wiktionary entry (https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/bilingual) for the prefix, or its Latin or Greek source, in the etymology: octopus is eight plus foot there, unicorn one plus horn, postpone after plus put. What a prefix is: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prefix. Licence: own work

How it works

These prefix flashcards put one prefix on the front, such as un-, bi- or sub-. The back gives its meaning and two words built with it, each explained: bicycle, two wheels; bilingual, speaking two languages. The 84 prefixes come in seven sets by meaning.

Read the full guide

Seven sets of 12, grouped by meaning

Not and opposite has un-, dis-, non-, mis- and the four spellings of in-. Number counts from uni- and bi- to kilo-, and More numbers and measures adds hexa-, deci- and giga-. When and where has pre-, post-, sub- and trans-; Direction has up-, off-, contra- and retro-. Size and degree runs from micro- to mega-. With, self and make has co-, auto- and en-.

Print a set on one sheet

Pick a set, turn a card, then press the print button under it: 12 cards on one sheet of Letter or A4, all 84 on 7. Print double-sided, flipped on the long edge, and each meaning lands behind its prefix. Pupils hold up a card and name a third word that starts with it.

Lay tri-, quadri-, penta-, hexa-, hepta-, octo-, deca- and dodeca- beside a set of shapes, triangle to dodecagon.
Not every un- means not. Unhappy is not happy, but untie undoes a knot, so the back gives both meanings.
The letters alone do not make a prefix: uncle starts with un, yet there is no un- in it.

Questions and answers

What is a prefix?

A word part added to the front of a word that changes its meaning. Un- turns happy into unhappy, re- turns write into rewrite and mis- turns spell into misspell.

What are 10 examples of prefixes?

Un- (unhappy), re- (rewrite), pre- (preheat), dis- (disagree), mis- (misspell), non- (nonstop), sub- (submarine), inter- (international), bi- (bicycle) and semi- (semicircle). All ten are cards in this deck.

What is the difference between a prefix and a suffix?

A prefix goes on the front of a word and a suffix on the end: un- in unkind, -ness in kindness. This deck is prefixes only. The morphology cards add suffixes and roots.

Why does in- change to im-, il- and ir-?

The n of in- changes to suit the sound that follows. It becomes m before b, m and p, l before l, and r before r: impossible, illegal, irregular. All four cards say not on the back.