Prefix · excessive / above the limit
Signals excess or a level above normal: hyperactive, hypertension, hyperbole, hyperlink.
Written by Bryan López, English teacher · Updated
Hyper- comes from Greek "hyper" (over, above, beyond) and signals a level that exceeds what is normal or expected: hyperactive = more active than normal; hypertension = blood pressure above normal levels; hyperlink = a link that goes beyond the page text; hyperbole = an extreme exaggeration. The idea is always "too much" or "beyond normal limits."
Hyper- and hypo- are direct antonyms in medicine and science: hypertension (high blood pressure) vs hypotension (low blood pressure); hyperglycemia (high blood sugar) vs hypoglycemia (low blood sugar); hyperthermia (elevated body temperature) vs hypothermia (abnormally low body temperature). If you see hyper-, the level is above normal; hypo- = below normal.
Attaches to medical, scientific, and technical nouns and adjectives:
Pronunciation: /ˈhaɪpər/. Do not confuse with "hypo-" (/ˈhaɪpəʊ/), which signals the opposite: below normal.
hyper-/ˈhaɪpər/
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"Hypertension" = blood pressure too HIGH. "Hypotension" = blood pressure too LOW. In medicine, confusing these two can have serious consequences. Memorise: hyper- = HIGH (think "hyperER = Excess"), hypo- = LOW (think "hypO = nOt enough").
"Hyperbole" does not rhyme with "bowl." It has four syllables. This is one of the most commonly mispronounced words in English, even by native speakers.
A trick to remember it
Hyper- = "hiper-" in Spanish: hyperactive = hiperactivo, hypertension = hipertensión, hyperbole = hipérbole. In medicine: if a level is "hyper" (too high), it's hyper-; if it's too low, it's hypo-. The distinction is medically important and the two prefixes are never interchangeable.
Exercise 1 · Form the word
Exercise 2 · Pick the right one
What is the medical antonym of "hypertension"?
Exercise 3 · Pick the right one
How is "hyperbole" correctly pronounced in English?
The prefix hyper- signals excess or a level above normal: hyperactive, hypertension, hyperbole, hyperlink. In Spanish it usually maps to hiper-.
The prefix hyper- is pronounced /ˈhaɪpər/. For example, "hyperactive".
"active" becomes "hyperactive". It is a typical example of the hyper- prefix.
un-, re-, pre-, dis-, over-, in-... every beginning you need to unlock thousands of English words at once.