Many words are built out of several separate parts, and often you can use this fact to make it easier to learn new words, or to learn multiple words at once. For example, look at this set of words:

cover
discover
discovered
undiscovered

That’s four words that can all be learned at once! The root word cover (“to hide”) is the basis for the set, and when you add the prefix dis- (from the Latin for “lack of” or “not”) you get the new word discover meaning “reveal” or “find” – in other words, “not hidden.” Discovered adds the suffix that shows the verb is in the past tense, and the prefix un- (which also means “not”) changes the verb again, giving it the opposite meaning (“still hidden”). By learning prefixes and suffixes, you do two things: first, you increase your ability to figure out the meaning of new and unfamiliar words when you can identify the meaning of their component parts; and second, you can multiply the number of words you learn at the same time using the method shown above.

Prefixes are useful, but can sometimes be confusing when they’re similar. Make sure you know exactly what the prefix means and can identify it properly as part of the word you’re learning. Today we’ll look at three prefixes that are very similar, but have different meanings: pre-, per-, and pro-.

pre- “before”

predict: to foretell, to anticipate the future
prediction, unpredictable

prefer: to like something or someone more than another
preferable, preferential

precede: to come before in order or in time sequence
precedent, unprecedented

per- “through” or “during”

perspective: a point of view

perforate: to make holes in
perforation, perforated

pro- “ahead” or “in front of”

prospective: likely to happen, expected
prospect

proceed: to start, to move forward, to continue
proceeding