Lesson · V.2.1

Common prefixes

The HESI A2 Vocabulary section rewards word-part knowledge over memorised lists. Learn the prefixes that show up again and again, and how to use them to decode an unfamiliar word on the spot.

ObjectiveV.2.1Read4 minExam weightWord Parts ≈ 38% of Vocabulary

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What you will be able to do

Recognise the most common prefixes tested on the HESI A2 and state what each one adds to a base word.
Use a prefix to work out the meaning of an unfamiliar word during the exam, rather than guessing blind.
Tell apart prefixes that look similar but change meaning in opposite directions, such as hyper- and hypo-.

What the lesson concludes

A prefix attaches to the front of a word and shifts its meaning without changing its core sense.
Negating prefixes (a-, dis-, non-, un-, in-) all mean roughly 'not' or 'without', but only one fits a given word.
hyper- means excessive or above normal; hypo- means deficient or below normal. Mixing these up flips the answer.
Knowing twenty or so prefixes lets you decode hundreds of words you have never studied directly.
When a vocabulary question stumps you, isolate the prefix first. It narrows the answer choices before you even reach the root.