SpeakUP Academy

Resources

Lecciones de gramáticaPor temasFlash cardsLecturasEjercicios de listeningGlosarioFalsos amigos¿Cuál usar?SufijosPrefijos
Discover your levelBlog
ESEN

Prefix · relation · together with

con-/com-

Means "together" or "with": connect, combine, cooperate, communicate, compare.

Basic

Written by Bryan López, English teacher · Updated

What does the prefix con- mean?

Con- (or com-) comes from the Latin cum, which means "with" or "together". It shows that something happens among several parts or jointly. It is the form you see in most words with this meaning, and the one that carries the most Latin history.

Not every con- word means "together"

In many words, con- has faded into a booster that means "thoroughly", and the idea of togetherness is hard to see. That is one reason con- words can be tricky to analyze, so treat the prefix as a clue, not a guarantee. And do not confuse the prefix with the word con on its own, as in "a con" (a trick): that one is a short form of "confidence" and has nothing to do with "together".

How it is used

Attaches to verbs and nouns to express joint action or relationship:

  • con- + consonant
    nect → connectfirm → confirmtrast → contrasttrol → controlcern → concern
  • com- + b/m/p
    bine → combinepare → comparepete → competemand → commandmunicate → communicate
  • co- + vowel/h
    operate → cooperateexist → coexisthere → cohereauthor → coauthor

Pronunciation: /kɒn/ (con-), /kəm/ (com-), /kəʊ/ (co-).

How it is pronounced

con-/com-/kɒn/ /kəm/

Tap the button to hear how the prefix sounds. Each word in the table has its own audio.

Examples

  • nectconnectThe new bridge will connect the two islands for the first time.
  • binecombineYou can combine flour and butter to make a simple pastry.
  • operatecooperateBoth teams agreed to cooperate fully on the shared project.
  • municatecommunicateGood leaders communicate clearly and honestly with their teams.
  • parecompareIt is hard to compare the two films fairly.
  • petecompeteThe runners will compete for the gold medal tomorrow morning.
  • firmconfirmPlease confirm your attendance before the deadline on Friday.

Common mistakes

always spell it "con-" regardless of what follows
the form depends on what follows: com- before b/m/p, co- before vowels/h, con- before most other consonants

Phonetic assimilation rule: "con + bine" → combine (not "conbine"); "con + operate" → cooperate (not "conoperate"); "con + firm" → confirm. The assimilation is predictable: bilabial consonants (b, m, p) attract com-; vowels and h attract co-; everything else keeps con-.

A trick to remember it

Same idea as "co-", it just changes shape before certain letters: con- = together with. connect, communicate.

Practise what you learned

Exercise 1 · Form the word

The new bridge will ___ the two islands for the first time in history.

Hint: con- + nect = ?

Exercise 2 · Pick the right one

Which form of the prefix is used in "compare"?

Frequently asked questions

What does the prefix con-/com- mean in English?

The prefix con-/com- means "together" or "with": connect, combine, cooperate, communicate, compare.

How do you pronounce con-/com-?

The prefix con-/com- is pronounced /kɒn/ /kəm/. For example, "connect".

Can you give an example of a word with con-/com-?

"nect" becomes "connect". It is a typical example of the con-/com- prefix.

Other useful prefixes

Learn every English prefix

un-, re-, pre-, dis-, over-, in-... every beginning you need to unlock thousands of English words at once.

View all prefixes