Words Starting
With PRE

PRE- comes from Latin and means "before" — in time or in position. PREVIEW (see before), PREDICT (say before), PREPARE (arrange before). PRE- words are common in academic vocabulary, crosswords, and Scrabble racks where P, R, and E appear together.

What Does PRE- Mean?

The prefix PRE- comes from Latin prae meaning "before." It indicates something happening earlier in time (PREVIEW = see before release, PREDICT = say before it happens, PREPARE = arrange before the event) or appearing before in position (PREFIX = a fix placed before the root, PREFACE = writing placed before the main text).

PRE- is one of the most recognizable prefixes in English and appears in formal, academic, and everyday vocabulary. In word games, PRE- words are valuable for both their frequency (making them easy to recognize and play) and their length (many PRE- words are 6–8 letters, giving good base scores).

PRE Words by Length

Frequently Asked Questions

What does the PRE- prefix mean?

PRE- comes from Latin prae meaning "before." It indicates something that happens earlier in time (PREDICT, PREPARE, PREVENT) or appears before in position (PREFIX, PREFACE, PRECEDE). PRE- is one of the most common Latin-derived prefixes in English vocabulary.

Is PRE a valid Scrabble word?

No, PRE is not a valid Scrabble word. However, PREP, PREY, PREX, and PREZ are all valid short PRE-starting Scrabble words. PREX (the president of a college) scores 13 points and is the highest-scoring 4-letter PRE-starting word in Scrabble.

What are the highest-scoring PRE words in Scrabble?

Top PRE Scrabble plays: PREX (13 pts), PREY (10 pts), PREP (8 pts), PREVIEW (15 pts), PRETZEL (18 pts), PRECIOUS (17 pts), PRETEXT (16 pts). PREX is particularly useful — 4 tiles for 13 points, and the X lands on a premium square for even more.

What are common words starting with PRE?

Common PRE- prefix words: PREDICT, PREFER, PREFIX, PREPARE, PRESENT, PREVENT, PREVIEW, PREVIOUS, PRECEDE, PRECISE, PREMIUM, PREMISE, PRELUDE, PREVAIL, PRETEND. Many high-frequency academic and professional words begin with PRE-.

What 5-letter words starting with PRE work in Wordle?

Wordle allows 5-letter words starting with PR- (not all are true PRE- prefix words): PRESS, PRICE, PRIDE, PRIME, PRIOR, PRISM, PROBE, PRONE, PROOF, PROSE, PROUD, PROVE, PROWL. True PRE- prefix 5-letter Wordle words are rare since most PRE- words are 6+ letters.