Words with the prefix in-/im-
in-/im- means “not; into”, from Latin.
16 examples of the prefix in-/im-
- incompletein-/im- + completenot complete
- incorrectin-/im- + correctnot correct
- invisiblein-/im- + visiblenot able to be seen
- inactivein-/im- + activenot active
- impossiblein-/im- + possiblenot possible
- impatientin-/im- + patientnot patient
- informalin-/im- + formalnot formal
- insanein-/im- + sanenot sane
- immaturein-/im- + maturenot fully mature
- indecentin-/im- + decentnot decent
- impurein-/im- + purenot pure
- inhumanein-/im- + humanenot humane
- improbablein-/im- + probablenot probable
- incoherentin-/im- + coherentnot logically connected
- imperceptiblein-/im- + perceptiblenot able to be perceived
Also: import
How in-/im- works
The prefix 'in-' meaning 'not' turns adjectives into their opposites, and occasionally nouns or verbs into negated forms. It assimilates to 'im-' before 'b', 'm', or 'p'; to 'il-' before 'l'; and to 'ir-' before 'r', matching the following consonant for easier pronunciation.
Watch out: Words like 'inn', 'inch', 'insect', and 'interest' look as though they begin with 'in-' but the 'in-' there is not a prefix meaning 'not' or 'into'—it is simply part of the root.
To see prefixes combine with other parts, try the word dissector and root builder, or test yourself in the vocabulary quiz.
Other common prefixes
Questions people ask
What does the prefix in-/im- mean?
in-/im- means “not; into”. It comes from Latin. The prefix 'in-' meaning 'not' turns adjectives into their opposites, and occasionally nouns or verbs into negated forms. It assimilates to 'im-' before 'b', 'm', or 'p'; to 'il-' before 'l'; and to 'ir-' before 'r', matching the following consonant for easier pronunciation.
What are some examples of words with the prefix in-/im-?
incomplete, incorrect, invisible, inactive, impossible, impatient, informal, insane. The full list of 16 examples, with what each one literally means, is above.
Which words look like they have the prefix in-/im- but don’t?
Words like 'inn', 'inch', 'insect', and 'interest' look as though they begin with 'in-' but the 'in-' there is not a prefix meaning 'not' or 'into'—it is simply part of the root.
What is a prefix?
A prefix is a word part added to the front of a base word or root to change its meaning, like un- in unhappy or re- in rewrite. It does not usually change the part of speech.