What does the prefix pro- mean?
Pro- has two main uses. The first shows support or a position in favor of something. The second shows forward movement or progress.
ESEN
Prefix · in favour of / forward
pro-
Signals support for something or forward movement: progress, promote, provide, pro-democracy.
Basic
Written by Bryan López, English teacher · Updated
Pro- or anti-: for or against
When the sense is about a stance, pro- and anti- are direct opposites. A person who is pro something actively supports it, and a person who is anti something actively opposes it. But when there is no "against" anywhere, pro- almost always shows forward movement. So, to decide which of the two uses it is, ask yourself whether there is a stance or an advance.
How it is used
Attaches to nouns and adjectives (with hyphen when signalling support) or to Latin roots (without hyphen):
- pro- + noun (support, WITH hyphen)democracy → pro-democracychoice → pro-choicegovernment → pro-government
- pro- + Latin root (movement, WITHOUT hyphen)gress → progressmote → promotevide → provideduce → produceject → project
Pronunciation: /prəʊ/ in British English and /proʊ/ in American English. In Latin-origin words like "progress," the stress pattern of the whole word affects how clearly the pro- sounds.
How it is pronounced
pro-/prəʊ/
Tap the button to hear how the prefix sounds. Each word in the table has its own audio.
Examples
Root word
With pro-
In a phrase
- gressprogressThe patient is making good progress and should leave soon.
- motepromoteThe company launched a campaign to promote its new product.
- videprovideThe organisation works to provide clean water to remote communities.
- duceproduceThe farm produces tons of organic vegetables every week.
- jectprojectThe construction project is expected to take three years.
- democracypro-democracyThousands of pro-democracy protesters gathered in the main square.
- activeproactiveBeing proactive about your health means acting before problems develop.
Common mistakes
progress is always a noun
progress is both a noun and a verb, with different stress
"Progress" as a noun: /ˈprəʊɡres/ (stress on first syllable). "To progress" as a verb: /prəˈɡres/ (stress on second syllable). Same pattern as "record," "permit," "transfer": nouns stress the first syllable; verbs shift to the second.
pro- always takes a hyphen
pro- takes a hyphen only when meaning "in favour of" before a noun
"Pro-democracy" (in favour of democracy) takes a hyphen. "Progress," "promote," "provide" do not because they are established fused Latin words. Rule: if you can replace "pro-" with "in favour of" + noun, use a hyphen.
A trick to remember it
Picture a push forward: pro- = in favor, forward. progress, promote.
Practise what you learned
Exercise 1 · Form the word
Exercise 2 · Pick the right one
"The organisation works to ___ clean water to communities in remote areas without infrastructure."
Exercise 3 · Pick the right one
When does pro- take a hyphen?
Frequently asked questions
What does the prefix pro- mean in English?
The prefix pro- signals support for something or forward movement: progress, promote, provide, pro-democracy.
How do you pronounce pro-?
The prefix pro- is pronounced /prəʊ/. For example, "progress".
Can you give an example of a word with pro-?
"gress" becomes "progress". It is a typical example of the pro- prefix.
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