Words with the prefix tri-
tri- means “three”, from Latin/Greek.
16 examples of the prefix tri-
- triangletri- + angleshape with three angles
- tricycletri- + cyclevehicle with three wheels
- triotri- + o (Italian)group of three
- tripletri- + plethree times as much
- tripodtri- + podstand with three legs
- tricolortri- + colorhaving three colors
- trilogytri- + logyseries of three works
- trimestertri- + mester (month)period of three months
- triathlontri- + athlonrace with three sport events
- tricepstri- + ceps (head)muscle with three heads
- trifocaltri- + focallens with three focal lengths
- trilateraltri- + lateralhaving three sides
- tridenttri- + dent (tooth)spear with three prongs
- triennialtri- + ennial (year)occurring every three years
- trinomialtri- + nominal (name/term)expression with three terms
Also: trilingual
How tri- works
The prefix 'tri-' attaches to nouns and adjectives without spelling changes, as it ends in a vowel and does not assimilate to the following consonant. It typically produces nouns (triangle, tricycle) or adjectives (trilateral, triennial) and remains stable across Latin, Greek, and English bases.
Watch out: Words like 'trick,' 'trim,' 'trip,' and 'tribe' look as if they begin with 'tri-' but are single-root words with no connection to the number three.
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 tri- mean?
tri- means “three”. It comes from Latin/Greek. The prefix 'tri-' attaches to nouns and adjectives without spelling changes, as it ends in a vowel and does not assimilate to the following consonant. It typically produces nouns (triangle, tricycle) or adjectives (trilateral, triennial) and remains stable across Latin, Greek, and English bases.
What are some examples of words with the prefix tri-?
triangle, tricycle, trio, triple, tripod, tricolor, trilogy, trimester. The full list of 16 examples, with what each one literally means, is above.
Which words look like they have the prefix tri- but don’t?
Words like 'trick,' 'trim,' 'trip,' and 'tribe' look as if they begin with 'tri-' but are single-root words with no connection to the number three.
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.