Prefixes: un-, dis-, mis-, re-, sub-, inter-, super-, anti-, auto-
Year group: 3/4
Source: DfE, English Appendix 1: Spelling, National Curriculum for England (2013) — Years 3–4, Prefixes
Curriculum requirement: Statutory
Purpose: Years 3–4 guide to nine statutory prefixes (un-, dis-, mis-, re-, sub-, inter-, super-, anti-, auto-) — meanings, word lists, and practice activities.
The rule
A prefix is a group of letters added to the beginning of a base word to change its meaning. The spelling of the base word never changes when you add a prefix.
This is one of the most reliable rules in English spelling: unlike suffixes, prefixes never trigger doubling, dropping an e, or changing a y to i. You simply attach the prefix to the word as it stands.
dis + appear = disappear (not dissapear)
mis + spell = misspell (two ss — one from the prefix, one from spell)
un + natural = unnatural (two ns — same reason)
The nine statutory prefixes — what they mean
| Prefix | Meaning | Origin |
|---|---|---|
| un- | not; reverse of | Old English |
| dis- | not; away; apart | Latin |
| mis- | wrongly; badly | Old English |
| re- | again; back | Latin re- |
| sub- | under; below | Latin sub |
| inter- | between; among | Latin inter |
| super- | above; beyond; greater | Latin super |
| anti- | against; opposing | Greek anti |
| auto- | self; by oneself | Greek autos |
Statutory examples from the Y3/4 word list
(All words marked † appear in the Y3/4 statutory word list, DfE Appendix 1)
un- (not / reverse)
- unhappy, undo, unfair, unlock, unusual, unnecessary
dis- (not / away)
- disappear †, disappoint (non-statutory example), disagree, disobey, dislike
mis- (wrongly / badly)
- misbehave, mislead, misspell (note: double s), misunderstand, mistrust
re- (again / back)
- return, recycle, rebuild, refresh, reappear, remember †
sub- (under)
- submarine, submerge, subtitle, subheading, subway
inter- (between)
- interact, intercity, interfere (Y5/6 word but useful here), international
super- (above / greater)
- supermarket, superstar, supernatural, superhuman
anti- (against)
- anticlockwise, antiseptic, antifreeze, antidote
auto- (self)
- autobiography, autograph, automatic, automobile
Why this matters: morphemes carry meaning
Understanding prefixes unlocks whole word families. A child who knows sub- means "under" can make sense of submarine (under the sea), submerge (go under), subtitle (text under an image), and subway (path under the road) — without memorising any of them individually.
This is why prefix knowledge transfers. Unlike learning a word list, learning a prefix gives children a tool that works on thousands of words they've never seen before.
Etymology note on dis- and mis-: Both can give double letters when the base word starts with the same letter as the final letter of the prefix. dis- + satisfy = dissatisfy; mis- + spell = misspell. This is not an exception — it is the rule working correctly. The prefix is added intact; if that creates a double letter, the double letter stays.
Common mistakes and why they happen
| Wrong | Right | Why |
|---|---|---|
| dissapear | disappear | dis- + appear — only one s, appear starts with a |
| missunderstand | misunderstand | mis- + understand — only one s, understand starts with u |
| unecessary | unnecessary | un- + necessary — necessary starts with n, giving double n |
| dislike ✓ but disklike | dislike | dis- + like — no extra letter needed |
| reenter / re-enter | reenter or re-enter | both accepted; hyphen optional when re- precedes a vowel |
The most reliable test: can you see the prefix clearly, and can you see the base word clearly? If yes, the spelling is probably right.
Word sort activity
Print and cut. Sort into the correct prefix column.
Words to sort: anticlockwise · autobiography · disappear · interact · misbehave · rebuild · submarine · supermarket · unhappy · unnatural · disagree · reappear · misunderstand · intercity · antiseptic
| un- | dis- | mis- | re- | sub- | inter- | super- | anti- | auto- |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Extension challenge: Add one more word of your own to each column. Can you use the prefix to work out what the word means?
Classroom questions (Rosenshine — ask large numbers of questions)
- What does the prefix sub- mean? Give me a word that uses it.
- If marine means "of the sea," what does submarine mean?
- Why does misspell have two ss?
- Auto comes from the Greek for "self." What does autobiography mean — and why?
- What would interstellar mean? (stella is Latin for star)
Links to other rules
- See suffix resources for what happens when you add endings to base words (where spelling does sometimes change)
- See Y5/6: in-/il-/im-/ir- prefix — the prefix in- changes form depending on the base word's first letter: impossible (not inpossible), illegal (not inlegal), irregular (not inregular)
Source: DfE English Appendix 1: Spelling (2013). All statutory word examples verified against the published statutory word lists for Years 3–4.