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Prefix · position / time

pre-

Signals something that exists or happens before something else: preview, prepare, prehistoric.

Basic

Written by Bryan López, English teacher · Updated

What does the prefix pre- mean?

Pre- comes from the Latin prae, which means "in front of" or "before". With nouns and adjectives, it shows that something exists before another thing. With verbs, it shows that the action happens before another. It is the opposite of post-.

Pre- is everywhere

Pre- is one of the most flexible prefixes in English: you can attach it to nouns, adjectives and verbs, and you will see it in school, travel, shopping and science. Its pronunciation changes from word to word, so it is worth listening to each one. When you are unsure, remember its opposite, post-, which handles everything that comes after.

How it is used

Attaches directly to nouns, adjectives, and verbs with no spelling change:

  • pre- + noun
    history → prehistoryschool → preschoolcaution → precaution
  • pre- + adjective
    mature → prematurehistoric → prehistoric
  • pre- + verb
    view → previewpay → prepayorder → preorderjudge → prejudge

Written solid (no hyphen) in most modern usage: preschool, prepay. A hyphen is used when the solid form would be confusing: pre-date (to come before in time) vs predate (to prey on).

How it is pronounced

pre-/priː/

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

Examples

  • viewpreviewThe director held a preview for investors.
  • historyprehistoricThe museum has a great collection of prehistoric tools.
  • matureprematureThe baby was premature but perfectly healthy.
  • schoolpreschoolShe enrolled her daughter in preschool this year.
  • payprepayYou can prepay for parking to avoid queues.
  • cautionprecautionAs a precaution, they evacuated the building.
  • orderpreorderFans rushed to preorder the new album.

Common mistakes

prevent = see before
prevent = stop something from happening

"Prevent" comes from Latin "praevenire" (to get ahead of something) and today means to stop or hinder, not to see in advance.

pre-view (hyphen) as the default
preview (no hyphen) is standard

Modern English writes pre- solid in almost all cases. The hyphen is only added when necessary for clarity.

A trick to remember it

Think of a movie preview, the part you see before the film: pre- = before. preview, prepare.

Practise what you learned

Exercise 1 · Form the word

Before releasing the game, the studio released a short ___ to build excitement:

Hint: pre- + view = ?

Exercise 2 · Pick the right one

Which pre- word means "arriving or happening before the expected or normal time"?

Exercise 3 · Pick the right one

She booked the hotel online to ___ and guarantee her room for the busy weekend.

Frequently asked questions

What does the prefix pre- mean in English?

The prefix pre- signals something that exists or happens before something else: preview, prepare, prehistoric.

How do you pronounce pre-?

The prefix pre- is pronounced /priː/. For example, "preview".

Can you give an example of a word with pre-?

"view" becomes "preview". It is a typical example of the pre- prefix.

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