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Prefix words with confusion

Unqualified/disqualified, unarmed/disarmed, unable/disable, uninterested/disinterested, unbelief/disbelief

 There are some prefix words with Un and Dis with the same base word. People often get mixed up between these words. The reason of confusion is the prefixes Un and Dis, as both mean: not.

But this negation is in a different way. Un applies with the force of opposite or reversal of an action. Dis applies with the force of the adjective bad or indicating lack of something or deprived.

I am removing your confusion explaining them one by one:

1. Unqualified/disqualified- Base word is qualified for these words.

 Qualified (adjective) = having the right knowledge, experience or qualification to do something.

Ex: He is a qualified bus driver. (He has a licence authorising him to drive a bus.)

Unqualified (adjective) = Not having the right knowledge, experience or qualification to do something.

Ex: He is unqualified to do a driver’s job. (He has no licence to drive a bus because he has no knowledge and experience)

Disqualified (verb) = to stop someone  doing something because they have done something wrong, or violated the rules.

He was disqualified as a driver because he drove in the wrong lane and had an accident. (His driving licence was taken away or suspended)

2. Unarmed/disarmed- Base word is armed for these words.

Armed (adjective) = furnished with weapons, having an arm or arms

Ex: The unknown man was armed with a gun near Canadian Parliament.

Unarmed (adjective) = not having a weapon

Ex: I was unarmed when I was there.

Disarmed (verb) = to give up weapons, to take weapons from someone, to make harmless (bomb)

Ex: Canadian police caught that unknown man and immediately disarmed him.

3. Unable/disable- Base word is able for these words.

Able (adjective) = to have the skill, intelligence, opportunity etc. needed to do something

Ex: You must be able to speak English for this job.

Unable (adjective) = not having the skill, knowledge, strength etc. to do something

Ex: I am unable to speak English.

Disable (verb) = to cause something be unable to work the normal way, to make someone unable to do something, such as the part of the body in the usual way.

Ex: His father was disabled in a car accident.

4. Uninterested/disinterested- Base word is interested for these words.

Interested (adjective) = having the desire to do or have something

Ex: He is interested in sports.

Uninterested (adjective) = Not wanting to learn more about something or become involved in something

Ex: He is uninterested in sports

Disinterested (adjective) = Not having the mind or feelings engaged

Ex: His father stopped visiting his son’s school because he was disinterested in his progress.

5. Unbelief/disbelief- Base word is belief for these words.

Belief (noun) = an acceptance that something exists or is true, especially one without proof

Ex: When I am in pain, I get strength from my belief in God.

Unbelief (noun) = Lack of religious belief, absence of faith

Ex: The presence of God is a matter of belief and unbelief.

Disbelief (noun) = Refusal to accept that something is true or real

Ex: I reacted with disbelief when he told me that he didn’t love me anymore.

Choose the right word:

Unqualified, disqualified, unable, disable, uninterested, disinterested, unarmed, disarmed, unbelief, disbelief.

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1. He is (

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)   [u...] to study further because of financial problem.

2. There are many (

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)   [u...] fighting techniques in martial arts.

3. I am (

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)   [di...] in John now; I have to break up this relationship as early as possible.

4. I am fed up of this popup on my laptop, let me (

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)   [d...] it.

5. Sorry, we cannot hire you; you are (

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)   [un...] for this job as a manager.

6. His (

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)   [u...] about religion was a matter of controversy for the leaders.

7. Please don't discuss about football, I am totally (

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)   [un...] in it.

8. He broke the rules of the game so he was (

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)   [di...] to run the race.

9. My father looked at me with (

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)   [di...] when he came to know about my bad score in the examination.

10. Police immediately went there and (

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)   [d...] the bomb, which saved many lives.