Pronounciation of words that begin with "pre"

[noofin]

Hi there!

I have got a problem pronouncing the words that beign with the suffix "pre".

The problem is, there are two ways to pronounce "pre" and I dont know when to pronounce "pre"

as in "previous"
or
as in "precious"

Is is possible to learn some kind of rule to know how to pronounce the suffix "pre" in newely encountered words? Can it be seen by looking at consonants or vovels?

I know that words which start with " pre- " are all pronounced as "previous".


Cheers,

Tom

[5jj]

Apart from knowing that 'pre' is pronounced /pri:/ when it means 'before', there is no rule as such.

When it does not mean 'before, it is usually pronounced, in BrE, /pri/, /prɪ/ or /prə/ before a consonant; if it is stressed, then it usually pronounced /pre/

[birdeen's call]

I have got a problem pronouncing the words that beign with the suffix "pre".

The problem is, there are two ways to pronounce "pre" and I dont know when to pronounce "pre"

as in "previous"
or
as in "precious"

"Pre-" is not a suffix. It's a prefix. Also, this prefix isn't present in the word "precious". "Pre" in "precious" has never been a prefix. It's an old Indo-European root. This may well be one of the reasons for its different pronunciation.

[5jj]

"Pre-" is not a suffix. It's a prefix.

Ooops; I missed that.

[noofin]

Thanks peeps!