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Words with the prefix sub-

sub- means “under; below; secondary”, from Latin.

16 examples of the prefix sub-

  1. subwaysub- + wayunderground passage or rail line
  2. submergesub- + mergego under water or liquid
  3. submarinesub- + marinevessel operating below the sea
  4. subtitlesub- + titlesecondary or explanatory title below
  5. suburbsub- + urbresidential area below or outside city
  6. subtractsub- + tracttake away a lesser amount
  7. subzerosub- + zerobelow the temperature of zero
  8. subsoilsub- + soillayer of earth below topsoil
  9. substandardsub- + standardbelow the accepted quality level
  10. subgroupsub- + groupsecondary division within a group
  11. subconscioussub- + consciousbelow the level of awareness
  12. subordinatesub- + ordinateranked below another in hierarchy
  13. subsequentsub- + sequentcoming after or below in order
  14. subterraneansub- + terraneanexisting or occurring under ground
  15. subliminalsub- + liminalbelow the threshold of conscious perception

Also: subset

How sub- works

The prefix 'sub-' typically attaches without spelling change to most bases, preserving the original part of speech while often adding a sense of lesser rank, lower position, or secondary status. However, it assimilates in some Latin-derived words, becoming 'suf-' (suffer), 'sug-' (suggest), 'sup-' (suppose), 'sus-' (sustain), or 'suc-' (succeed) before certain consonants.

Watch out: Words like 'subtle,' 'subject,' and 'sublime' contain 'sub-' historically but their bases are obscure or the 'sub-' meaning is no longer transparently 'under'; meanwhile 'suburb' comes from Latin 'urbs' (city), not the English word 'urban,' so the base may look unfamiliar.

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 sub- mean?

sub- means “under; below; secondary”. It comes from Latin. The prefix 'sub-' typically attaches without spelling change to most bases, preserving the original part of speech while often adding a sense of lesser rank, lower position, or secondary status. However, it assimilates in some Latin-derived words, becoming 'suf-' (suffer), 'sug-' (suggest), 'sup-' (suppose), 'sus-' (sustain), or 'suc-' (succeed) before certain consonants.

What are some examples of words with the prefix sub-?

subway, submerge, submarine, subtitle, suburb, subtract, subzero, subsoil. The full list of 16 examples, with what each one literally means, is above.

Which words look like they have the prefix sub- but don’t?

Words like 'subtle,' 'subject,' and 'sublime' contain 'sub-' historically but their bases are obscure or the 'sub-' meaning is no longer transparently 'under'; meanwhile 'suburb' comes from Latin 'urbs' (city), not the English word 'urban,' so the base may look unfamiliar.

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.