Prefixes and Suffixes Teaching Resources
Are you teaching prefixes and suffixes this school year? Printable worksheets, digital activities, and more options for ELA teachers have been created just for you by the Teach Starter teacher team!
Explore our curriculum-aligned collection of options for your writing or reading centers with editable options to help differentiate instruction and ensure your students have everything they need to meet Common Core and state-level standards.
Has it been a while since you were teaching this part of the ELA curriculum? Our teacher team knows what it’s like to teach a new grade level after some time away, so we’ve put together a quick refresher on the basics of prefixes and suffixes! Take a look at our quick guide on the definitions of prefixes and suffixes, how to use them and some common examples.
What Is a Prefix?
The obvious place to start teaching this topic is with a definition, right? Your students will need to know the meaning of a prefix and how it differs from a suffix.
Simply put, a prefix is a sequence of sounds that carry meaning (otherwise known as a morpheme) that is added to the beginning of a word to change its meaning. For a set of letters to act as a prefix, there also must be a base word or a root word.
Prefix Examples
There are a wide variety of prefixes that students will come across during their years in elementary school. Prefixes that are generally introduced first include un- and re-.
- The prefix "un-" translates to "not." Examples with this prefix include unable, unusual and unkind.
- "Re-" when used as a prefix means "again." Words with this prefix may be those such as redo, rewrite and reuse.
It is important to remind your students that sometimes there are words that have these same letters and appear to be a prefix, but there are times when they are just part of the word.
So, for example, you can present students with the word "real." While the letters "re" appear at the beginning of the word, "al" is not a base word with meaning. In this case, the "re" is not acting like a prefix.
Common Prefixes Taught in Elementary School
If you are looking for a list of prefixes to teach in your ELA class, check out our list below!
- un- (not or opposite of)
- re- (again)
- dis- (not or opposite of)
- in- (not)
- under- (below or too little)
- over- (above or too much)
- non- (not)
- pre- (before)
- bi- (two)
- tri- (three)
- quad- (four)
- oct- (oct)
What Is a Suffix?
Much like a prefix, a suffix acts in the same what that it is a group of letters that carry meaning to change a base or root word. The only difference is that these letters appear at the end of the word.
Suffix Examples
As early as first grade, students begin to recognize that word meaning changes when you add letters to the end of a word. The most basic example of this is changing a singular noun to a plural noun by adding -s or -es to the end of a word.
Other common suffixes that are taught early on include -ed and -ing.
Common Suffixes Taught in Elementary School
Looking for a list of suffixes that need to be covered in the elementary years? Read on for a list of word endings that your students should learn!
- -s (plural, more than one)
- -es (plural, more than one)
- -ing (action)
- -ed (past tense)
- -er (comparative)
- -est (superlative)
- -ful (full of)
- -less (without)
- -y (characterized by)
- -ly (characteristic of)
- -ness (condition or state of)
Decoding with Prefixes and Suffixes
Prefixes and suffixes come in handy when it comes to decoding words because they provide important clues about meaning.
Let's say a student encounters an unfamiliar word. They can use their knowledge of common prefixes and suffixes to decipher the word's meaning based on its parts.
For example, if students encounter the word "dislike," they may not know its exact meaning. However, if they are familiar with the prefix "dis-," which means not or opposite, and the suffix "-like," which means having the same characteristics or qualities as, they can use this knowledge to determine that "dislike" means not having the same characteristics or qualities as something else.
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Double Consonant Rule - Word Building Cards
Practice spelling and building words that need double consonants when adding suffixes with a word-building center.
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Morpheme Match Up Game
Review concepts learned in your prefix and suffix lessons by ensuring students understand word parts with a matching activity.
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Plural Spelling Rules Teaching Slides
Teach plural rules to your class with ease using this engaging slide deck that helps students understand when to add -s, -es, -ies and -ves to make plural nouns.
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Adjective Suffix Worksheet Pack
Use this suffix worksheet pack to help students recognize, apply and spell adjective-forming suffixes such as ful, less, y, ous, able, ive and ic.
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Word Building Bricks - Prefixes, Suffixes, and Roots Activity
Build, read and write multi-syllable words using prefixes, suffixes, and base words with a fun word-building literacy activity.
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Prefixes and Suffixes - Gallery Walk Activity
Get your students up and moving to learn about prefixes and suffixes with an engaging gallery walk activity.
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Suffix Mini Anchor Charts
Give your students a visual reminder of the meanings of 28 suffixes with a printable set of miniature anchor charts.
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Prefix and Suffix Anchor Charts
Increase vocabulary skills with anchor charts about prefixes and suffixes.
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Prefix Worksheet Pack - 2nd Grade
Use this Prefix Worksheet Pack as an engaging prefix activity for Grade 2 that teach students how to use the most common prefixes.
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Affixes Word Building Puzzle Activity
Build words with affixes with a pack of printable word-building puzzles.
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Adding Suffixes - Vocabulary Worksheet
Review concepts related to suffixes with a printable grammar worksheet.
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Noun Suffixes Worksheet Pack
Use this noun suffixes worksheet pack to help students recognize, apply and spell noun-forming suffixes such as ness, ment, ion, tion, ship and hood.
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Prefix Puzzles – Printable Reading Center
Grow your students’ vocabularies with an engaging prefix puzzle activity.
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Plural Noun Anchor Charts
Help children grasp the tricky concept of pluralizing nouns by displaying these 8 plural noun anchor chart posters.
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Word Forms in Action — Prefixes and Suffixes Worksheets
Use these Decoding Prefix and Suffix Worksheets to help students strengthen their word analysis and vocabulary skills.
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Interactive Vocabulary Notebook - Upper Grades
Use an Interactive Vocabulary Notebook to help your students demonstrate and review a variety of vocabulary concepts.
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Prefix and Suffix Search Worksheets
Build confident vocabulary and word‑study skills with this engaging Prefixes and Suffixes Search Worksheet Pack.
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Rainbow Affixes - Prefix and Suffix Game
Define words with prefixes and suffixes with a self-checking interactive game!
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Plural Suffix Stars – Digital Activity
Practice reading and spelling plural nouns with an engaging Google Slides digital learning activity.
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Building Words with Suffixes - Literacy Center Cards
Build words using the suffixes -ed, -es, -s, and -ing with a printable word-building pocket chart card pack.
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Prefix Puzzles - Printable Reading Centers
Practice building, reading, and understanding the meaning of words with prefixes with fun literacy centers!
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Greek or Latin Root Word Graphic Organizer
Display learning about Greek and Latin roots and their origins with a crafty graphic organizer.
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Greek and Latin Roots – Word Tree Anchor Charts
Encourage vocabulary development with 24 Greek and Latin root anchor charts.
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Four In A Row Vocabulary Game - Suffixes
Practice matching words to their common suffixes and build vocabulary with a suffix vocabulary game.
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Building Words with Suffixes Sorting Activity
Build words by matching the root word to suffixes, recording the new words on the answer sheet.
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Suffixes Puzzles Matchup Cards
Practice building, reading, and understanding the meaning of words with suffixes with a fun set of suffix puzzles.
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Building Words with Prefixes Sorting Activity
Build words by matching the root word to prefixes, recording the new words on the answer sheet.
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Prefixes PowerPoint
Use this Prefix PowerPoint to help students understand what prefixes are and confidently use common prefixes related to opposites, time, place and position, numbers and size.
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What Is Etymology? Teaching Slides
Explore word origins with this teaching presentation that helps students unlock the meaning of unfamiliar vocabulary by learning how Greek and Latin roots shape thousands of words in English.
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Direction and Position Prefixes Worksheet Pack
Help your students master direction and position prefixes with this comprehensive worksheet pack that explores how these prefixes change word meanings.
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Size Prefixes Worksheet Pack
Teach size prefixes with this comprehensive worksheet pack that helps students understand how prefixes change the meaning of words through a collection of engaging activities.
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Number and Measurement Prefixes Worksheet Pack
Help your students master number and measurement prefixes with this comprehensive worksheet pack, which uses a collection of engaging activities to show how prefixes change word meaning.