Medical Prefix & Suffix Guide

Learn how to break down medical terms using prefixes and suffixes.

Why Prefixes and Suffixes Matter

Medical terms can seem complicated, but most are built from smaller parts. By understanding prefixes and suffixes, you can quickly figure out what a word means.

Common Medical Prefixes

Prefix	Meaning	Example
Hyper-	High	Hypertension
Hypo-	Low	Hypoglycemia
Tachy-	Fast	Tachycardia
Brady-	Slow	Bradycardia
Pre-	Before	Prenatal

Common Medical Suffixes

Suffix	Meaning	Example
-itis	Inflammation	Arthritis
-ectomy	Removal	Appendectomy
-ology	Study of	Biology
-algia	Pain	Neuralgia
-emia	Blood condition	Anemia

How to Break Down Terms

Hypertension → Hyper (high) + tension (pressure)
Bradycardia → Brady (slow) + cardia (heart)
Appendectomy → Appendix + ectomy (removal)

Practice What You Learned

Test your knowledge with interactive tools:

Prefix & Suffix Practice

Medical Terminology Practice

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