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Spelling words with the prefixes de-, re-, sub-, super-, inter-, anti- and auto-

Lesson details

Learning outcome

I can spell a range of words with the prefixes de-, re-, sub-, inter-, super-, anti- and auto-.

Key learning points

  1. A prefix is a letter or group of letters at the start of a word which changes its meaning.
  2. The prefix de- can mean ‘undo’ and re- can mean ‘again’.
  3. The prefix sub- can mean ‘under’ or ‘nearly’ and super- can mean ‘above’ or ‘larger’.
  4. The prefix inter- can mean ‘between’, anti- mean ‘against’ and auto- mean ‘self’ or ‘own’.
  5. How to spell the curriculum words: opposite, average, interrupt and lightning.

Keywords

  • Prefix - a letter or group of letters added to the start of a root word to change its meaning

  • Root word - the base word from which other words are formed often by adding prefixes or suffixes

Common misconception

Pupils may think every word with a prefix will have a recognisable root word.

Show that some roots we don't recognise may have Latin roots that we don't know. We can call this a 'stem' or a 'root'. Recognising the prefix can still help with spelling and understanding.

Teacher tip

You could play a definitions game as a whole class, where children provide a definition and challenge the class to find the right word.

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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Prior knowledge starter quiz

6 Questions

Q1.
What does the prefix un- usually mean? Such as in words like 'unfriendly' or 'unreasonable'.

wrongly
Correct answer: not
against
above

Q2.
Select the prefixes which can mean 'not'.

Correct answer: il-
pre-
Correct answer: in-
auto-
Correct answer: im-

Q3.
Match the word to its meaning.

Correct Answer:deflate,to release the air, the opposite of inflate

to release the air, the opposite of inflate

Correct Answer:subheading,a heading that comes under the main title

a heading that comes under the main title

Correct Answer:international,relating to two or more countries

relating to two or more countries

Q4.
Select the correct spelling of the word.

dilight
dulight
Correct answer: delight

Q5.
What does the prefix sub- usually mean? An example word is 'subheading'.

the opposite or undo
again
Correct answer: under or nearly
above
not

Q6.
What does the prefix re- usually mean? Example words are 'recycle' or 'redo'.

the opposite or undo
Correct answer: again
under
not
above

6 Questions

Q1.
Match these prefixes to their meaning.

Correct Answer:re-,again

again

Correct Answer:sub-,under or nearly

under or nearly

Correct Answer:super-,above

above

Correct Answer:de-,make the opposite or undo

make the opposite or undo

Q2.
Match these prefixes to their meaning.

Correct Answer:inter-,between

between

Correct Answer:auto-,self or own

self or own

Correct Answer:anti-,against

against

Q3.
Select the correct spelling of the word.

interelated
Correct answer: interrelated
interrilated

Q4.
Select the correct spelling of the word.

Correct answer: recycle
ricycle
resicle

Q5.
Correct the spelling of the word in bold in the sentence. I walked through the ortamatick door.

Correct Answer: automatic

Q6.
Correct the spelling of the word in bold in the sentence. Please don't be antysoshul.

Correct Answer: antisocial

To help you plan your 5 English lesson on: Spelling words with the prefixes de-, re-, sub-, super-, inter-, anti- and auto-, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...