Common English Errors: Ante and Anti

07 June 2011

Written by English Language Skills (Denise)

ANTI and ANTE are both prefixes. They are added to the front of other words to create new words with new meanings. However, even though there is only one letter's difference between them, ANTI and ANTE have quite different meanings.

Tip: If you are serious about improving your spelling, then Troy and I highly recommend you try the popular spelling-improvement software, Ultimate Spelling. Click Ultimate Spelling for further information.*

ANTE- means "before, preceding". So ante-natal classes are classes you take BEFORE your baby is born. The ANTE- prefix forms words such as: antebellum (occurring before a particular war), antecedent, antechamber, antedate, antediluvian, and anterior.

ANTI- means "opposed to, against". So anti-natal classes would be classes "against babies" ... which sounds rather alarming! The ANTI- prefix is the prefix that forms words such as: anti-aircraft, anti-inflammatory, antibiotics, antibody, anticlimactic, anticlockwise, antidote, antigen, antihero, antiperspirant, antipodean, antipathy, and antisocial.

*Troy and I recommend only products that we have tried and tested. These include Ultimate Spelling. We have agreed to receive a commission from some sales of Ultimate Spelling software because we are happy to endorse that software.

Last modified on Tuesday, 07 June 2011 23:17

Read 2005 times

Tagged under

Social sharing

English Language Skills (Denise)

I'm a syndicated puzzle writer, with 8 puzzle books to my name, including Word Searches for Dummies and Cracking Codes and Cryptograms for Dummies (with Mark Koltko-Rivera). I have a background in science and graphic design, and am a trained indexer. My favourite puzzles are cryptic crosswords. and my favourite books are murder mysteries and cookbooks. I am also a very keen knitter.

I write a blog all about puzzles, called Puzzling.

Website: sutherland-studios.com.au E-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Latest from English Language Skills (Denise)

Related items (by tag)

More in this category: « Improve Your Spelling: The Hardest Words, Part 2 Improve Your Spelling: Spelling Bee »

back to top