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PlainSpell

affix

/ˈæf.ɪks/noun, verb

affix is spelled A-F-F-I-X: 5 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 45,363rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, affix means “A bound morpheme added to a word’s stem, such as a prefix or suffix” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of affix is affixes.

How many letters and syllables are in affix?

Letters5: A-F-F-I-X
Syllables2 (from its American pronunciation)
In writingabout once in every 2 million words; the 45,363rd most frequent word form
Wrong spellings searchednone measured in search

Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).

How common is affix?

Affix appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 45,363rd most frequent word form in the list.

Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).

How do you pronounce affix?

  • /ˈæf.ɪks/

As a verb (“To attach”): /əˈfɪks/.

Affix has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-affix_(noun).wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-affix_(verb).wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).

Forms of affix

  • affixes plural, present, singular, he/she/it
  • affixing participle, present
  • affixed participle, past

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What does affix mean?

The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).

noun

  1. 1

    A bound morpheme added to a word’s stem, such as a prefix or suffix.

  2. 2

    That which is affixed; an appendage.

  3. 3

    The complex number a+bi associated with the point in the Gauss plane with coordinates (a,b).

  4. 4

    Any small feature, as a figure, a flower, or the like, added for ornament to a vessel or other utensil, to an architectural feature.

verb

  1. 1

    To attach.

    to affix a stigma to a person

  2. 2

    To subjoin, annex, or add at the close or end; to append to.

    to affix a syllable to a word

  3. 3

    To fix or fasten figuratively.

    eyes affixed upon the ground

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

How do you abbreviate affix?

Wiktionary records one abbreviation of affix: aff..

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

Affix in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese

LanguageWords
Frenchaffixe (that which is affixed)
GermanAnhang, Anhängsel (that which is affixed), Affix, Zusatzsilbe (linguistics: a bound morpheme added to a word’s…), befestigen, anheften (to attach)
Portugueseafixo (that which is affixed), afixar (to attach)
Spanishafijo (linguistics: a bound morpheme added to a word’s…), afijar (to attach)

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.

Where does affix come from?

Borrowed from Latin affixus, perfect passive participle of affigere (from ad- + figere). By surface analysis, af- + fix.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What to look up after affix