What is this skill?
A prefix is a small group of letters added to the front of a word, and a suffix is one added to the end. Each carries a meaning of its own. Pre- means before, so preheat means heat before. Dis- and mis- change a word to mean not or wrongly, so disagree is "not agree" and misspell is "spell wrongly." At the end of a word, -ly means "in a way," -ness means "the state of being" and -able means "able to be," so quickly, kindness and washable fall right out.
The practice uses exactly those six: pre-, dis-, mis-, -ly, -ness and -able. Children work out what words such as preheat, disagree, misspell, quickly, kindness and washable mean, then go the other way and find the word for a meaning, like "the state of being dark" (darkness) or "able to be enjoyed" (enjoyable). Others name the prefix in preview or the suffix in softly, decide which sentence uses disappear correctly, and work out what happened when Jamal misplaced his keys. Sorting questions place words by their prefix or suffix, and yes-or-no questions ask whether dishonest means very honest. The words are chosen so that the base word is still easy to see.
Why it matters
English is full of long words built from shorter parts, and third grade is the year they start showing up in textbooks. A child who can take apart unhappily or misunderstand can work out a word they have never seen, which is a bigger skill than memorizing a list.
It also helps spelling. Once a child knows that dis- plus appear is disappear, and that the double p comes from appear, they have a reason for the spelling and not just a memory of it.
Common mistakes
- Treating letters that only look like a prefix as one. Not every word that starts with dis or pre can be split. A quick test: take the letters off and see if a real word remains.
- Confusing dis- with mis-. Both give a negative sense, but dis- means not or the opposite, while mis- means done wrongly. Misspell is not "not spell."
- Forgetting that suffixes can change what kind of word it is. Quick describes something, and quickly describes how it is done. Ask your child to use both in sentences.
- Dropping the base word. A child may say preheat means "before" and forget the heating. The meaning is the prefix and the base, put together.
How to help at home
- Make word equations on a whiteboard: dis + like = dislike. Ask your child to write the meaning next to it in their own words.
- Hunt for these prefixes and suffixes in a cereal box, a recipe or a book. Washable and microwavable turn up on labels.
- Ask for silly words to teach the meaning: "What would it mean to unbrush your teeth?" Then ask for a real one.
- When they meet a long word while reading, say, "Find the base word first, then the pieces around it."
Worked examples
These are real questions from the Tutorsaurus word parts: prefixes and suffixes practice, with the answers worked out.
Example 1
What does "quickly" mean?
Choices: Able to be quick, Not quick, The state of being quick, In a quick way
Answer: In a quick way. -ly means in that way, so quickly means in a quick way.
Example 2
True or false: "Dishonest" means very honest.
Answer: False. False. Dis- means not, so dishonest means not honest.
Example 3
Does each word have a prefix or a suffix?
To sort: misjudge, softness, preorder, fixable, disobey, loudly
Answer: Prefix (front): misjudge, preorder, disobey · Suffix (end): softness, fixable, loudly. Misjudge, preorder, and disobey have prefixes at the front. Softness, fixable, and loudly have suffixes at the end.
Printable worksheet (PDF) — one page of questions from this practice that work on paper, easier ones first, with an answer key on page 2. Free to print, no sign-up.