Prefix · between / among
Signals a relationship or action between two or more things: international, interact, internet.
Written by Bryan López, English teacher · Updated
Inter- comes from Latin "inter" (between, among) and signals a relationship, action, or position between two or more entities: international = between nations; interact = act between people; interview = a view between two parties; internet = a network between networks. The idea is always "between" or "connecting multiple things."
Inter- (between different things) is sometimes confused with intra- (within one thing): international = between different countries; intranational = within one country. Internet = between different networks; intranet = a network within a single organisation. The vowel difference is crucial: inter- = between; intra- = within.
Attaches to nouns and verbs with no spelling change. Identical in Spanish and English:
Inter- is identical in Spanish and English. Pronunciation: /ˈɪntər/, stressed on the first syllable. The final "e" is a schwa /ər/.
inter-/ˈɪntər/
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"International" = between countries. "Intranational" = within one country. "Internet" = between different networks. "Intranet" = a network inside one organisation.
"Interrupt" applies to any process being cut into: interrupt a speech, a signal, a meeting, or a computer process. The core sense is to break into the middle of something in progress.
A trick to remember it
Inter- = "entre" in Spanish and English: international = internacional, interact = interactuar, internet = inter + net (network of networks). If you know the Spanish inter- word, the English version almost always exists and sounds the same.
Exercise 1 · Form the word
Exercise 2 · Pick the right one
"The ___ between the two teams helped solve a problem neither could have solved alone."
Exercise 3 · Pick the right one
What is the difference between "internet" and "intranet"?
The prefix inter- signals a relationship or action between two or more things: international, interact, internet. In Spanish it usually maps to inter-.
The prefix inter- is pronounced /ˈɪntər/. For example, "international".
"national" becomes "international". It is a typical example of the inter- prefix.
un-, re-, pre-, dis-, over-, in-... every beginning you need to unlock thousands of English words at once.