Prefix · good / well
Signals something good or beneficial: benefit, beneficial, benevolent, benefactor, benign.
Written by Bryan López, English teacher · Updated
Bene- comes from the Latin bene, which means "well" or "good". It shows that something is good, positive or does good for someone. Its opposite is mal-, which means "bad". If a word starts with bene-, think of something that benefits.
Bene- sits at the center of a family of words about goodness: kindness toward others, helpful effects and generous gifts. A good test is to ask whether swapping bene- for mal- would flip the meaning, because the two are mirror images. In medicine, bene- can also signal that something is not harmful. The prefix appears in ethics, religion and health, always with the same central idea: goodness.
Attaches to nouns, adjectives, and verbs:
Pronunciation: /ˈbeni/. "Benign" is pronounced /bɪˈnaɪn/ — note the different stress and vowel sound compared to the rest of the group.
bene-/ˈbeni/
Tap the button to hear how the prefix sounds. Each word in the table has its own audio.
As a noun: "The benefit of exercise is clear." As a verb: "Exercise benefits your health." The same word functions in both roles with no change in form. Unlike many word pairs, the noun and the verb are spelled the same.
"Benign" in English does not mean "kind" or "friendly" (those would be "kind," "friendly," or "benevolent"). "Benign" specifically means "not harmful" or "not malignant": a benign tumour (non-cancerous), a benign presence (harmless), benign neglect (unintentionally harmless inattention).
A trick to remember it
Think of a benefit, something that does you good: bene- = good. benefit, benevolent.
Exercise 1 · Form the word
Exercise 2 · Pick the right one
"The doctor confirmed the tumour was ___ and that no further treatment would be needed at this stage."
Exercise 3 · Pick the right one
What is the difference between "benevolent" and "benign" in English?
The prefix bene- signals something good or beneficial: benefit, beneficial, benevolent, benefactor, benign.
The prefix bene- is pronounced /ˈbeni/. For example, "benefit".
"fit" becomes "benefit". It is a typical example of the bene- prefix.
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