Prefix · position / reduction
Signals downward movement or reduction: download, downgrade, downstairs, downside.
Written by Bryan López, English teacher · Updated
Down- is the direct opposite of up-. It signals physical movement downward (downstairs, downtown, downstream) or a reduction in quality, quantity, or status (downgrade, downsize, downfall). The direction is always "toward a lower or lesser state."
Down- appears constantly in everyday English: download, downtime, downside, downtown. "Download" is so common today that few people think of it as a compound, but its logic is clear: bring (load) data down to your device. Recognizing down- as a component groups dozens of everyday words under a single pattern.
Attaches to verbs, nouns, and adjectives to signal downward direction or reduction:
No spelling change to the root. Pronunciation: /daʊn/, rhymes with "town".
down-/daʊn/
Tap the button to hear how the prefix sounds. Each word in the table has its own audio.
"Downgrade the software" = install an older, lower version. "Downsize the company" = reduce the number of employees or the scale of operations. They are related but not interchangeable.
"His arrogance was his downfall" = his arrogance caused his ruin. The figurative use is far more common than any literal sense of falling downward.
A trick to remember it
Down- mirrors up-: where up- signals rising and improving, down- signals falling and reducing. download vs upload, upgrade vs downgrade, upstairs vs downstairs. Learn one side and the down-/up- opposite almost always exists.
Exercise 1 · Form the word
Exercise 2 · Pick the right one
What is the difference between "downgrade" and "downsize"?
Exercise 3 · Pick the right one
"Every solution has a ___ and it's important to consider both sides before deciding."
The prefix down- signals downward movement or reduction: download, downgrade, downstairs, downside. In Spanish it usually maps to hacia abajo / reducir.
The prefix down- is pronounced /daʊn/. For example, "download".
"load" becomes "download". It is a typical example of the down- prefix.
un-, re-, pre-, dis-, over-, in-... every beginning you need to unlock thousands of English words at once.