AEE: Pesky Prefixes Part 1: Insecurity or Lack of Security?

Summary

All Ears English Podcast — Episode Summary

Episode: Pesky Prefixes Part 1: Insecurity or Lack of Security?
Date: October 25, 2025
Hosts: Michelle Kaplan & Aubrey Carter

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Overview

This episode kicks off a three-part series exploring confusing English prefixes, with a particular focus on the words "secure," "security," "insecure," and "insecurity." Michelle and Aubrey aim to help English learners avoid common mistakes, especially with the prefix "in-" and when it doesn't simply mean "not," sharing real-life examples of correct and incorrect use. The conversation centers on the dual meaning of "secure," nuances of nouns and adjectives in different contexts, and practical advice for learners aiming for clarity and connection in conversation.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Prefix “in-”: A Source of Confusion

• The episode examines why adding "in-" as a prefix doesn't always create a simple opposite (e.g., "insecure" ≠ "not safe" in all contexts).
• Quote:

  "We don't say insecure or unsecure with this kind of definition, the safety one… Instead we say unsafe."
  — Michelle Kaplan (08:34)

2. "Secure" Has Two Main Meanings

• Confident: "I’m secure in my sense of style.” (05:36)
• Safe: “The children felt secure playing in the fenced backyard.” (08:02)
• Both uses are correct but don't always take the same prefix for their opposites.

3. How (and When) to Use "Insecure"

• "Insecure" usually means lacking in confidence, NOT lacking in safety.
• Memorable Moment: When a student said, “Many cities have insecurity,” meaning “lack of safety”—a common ESL error.

  "It would make sense for insecure to mean both not confident and not safe. But it doesn’t. English is too tricky."
  — Aubrey Carter (03:21)

4. Proper Use of "Unsafe"

• When describing physical danger/lack of safety, say "unsafe" (not "insecure").

  "It's unsafe to walk alone in that part of town at night."
  — Aubrey Carter (08:47)

5. From Noun Forms: "Security" vs. "Insecurity"

• Security: Refers to safety, systems, or structures (e.g. “The airport has tight security.”) (09:10)
• Insecurity: Usually internal, psychological (e.g. “I have a lot of insecurity about my singing voice.”) (11:00)
• But "insecurity" can refer to broader social concepts, like job insecurity or food insecurity, not typically to physical locations.

6. Collocations & Real-Life Usage

• “Sense of security” is a common expression, often about feelings of safety or comfort.

  "Having a buddy while jogging gives me a sense of security."
  — Aubrey Carter (09:31)

• “Security guard,” “security cameras,” and “security personnel”: Collocations for safety.

7. Avoid Direct Translations in All Contexts

• You can’t always transfer prefix patterns. For places, say "the building has a lack of security," never "the building has insecurity."

  “You wouldn’t say created insecurity.”
  — Michelle Kaplan (10:37)

8. When “Security” Doesn’t Work for Confidence

• Don’t use “security” to mean personal confidence (“I feel security about my singing voice” is wrong). Use “confidence” instead.

  “We don’t say security as the opposite of that (insecurity about skills)…I would say I feel confident.”
  — Aubrey Carter (11:14)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Being Insecure as Teenagers

  “I’m always impressed and kind of shocked when like a teenager isn’t (insecure). When they seem extremely confident and sure of themselves. That was not me.”
  — Aubrey Carter (02:15)

• The Everyday Struggle

  “We just have to embrace the frizz, you guys.”
  — Aubrey Carter (07:14)

• On Common Prefix Mistakes

  “Just yesterday at volleyball, I heard someone say ‘undefensible’ when they meant ‘indefensible’. There are so many of these little prefix mistakes.”
  — Aubrey Carter (17:37)

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Role Play Segment: Bringing It All Together

[Starts at 14:07]

Michelle and Aubrey act out a conversation before a party, demonstrating the right usage of all relevant terms:

• “I'm feeling a bit of insecurity about tonight. What if I don’t know anyone?” (Aubrey, 14:17)
• “Don’t worry, you'll be fine. I…feel secure in my ability to introduce people…” (Michelle, 14:23)
• “Hopefully it's more secure than the place we went to downtown.” (Aubrey, 14:32)
• “The venue has good security…” (Michelle, 14:39)
• “That definitely gives me a sense of security.” (Aubrey, 14:45)

Insights:

• "Insecure/insecurity" = about feelings/self-confidence
• "Secure/security" = about safety/external circumstances
• “Security” used for people/places/systems, not for self-confidence

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Segment Timestamps

• [02:10] – Discussion: Insecurity as a personal feeling
• [03:21] – Why “insecure” isn’t used to describe places
• [05:36] – Dual meaning of “secure”
• [08:34] – “Unsafe” vs. “insecure”
• [09:10] – “Security” and “insecurity” as nouns
• [14:07] – Role play example
• [17:37] – Other common prefix mix-ups and encouragement for the upcoming series

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Takeaways & Advice

• Always be skeptical of English prefixes: they don’t always follow logical patterns.
• Use “insecure” for self-confidence, “unsafe” for physical safety, and “security/security guard/security cameras” for protection measures.
• Avoid translating directly from another language or assuming prefix rules always apply.
• Even native speakers make Prefix Mix-Ups! Exposure and practice are key.

Memorable closing tip:

“This is not something that a textbook is just going to start outlining for you. That’s why we’re here to really point it out…”
— Michelle Kaplan (17:04)

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Next Episodes:
This is PART 1 of the “Pesky Prefixes” series — subscribe to catch parts 2 and 3 for more!
[Don’t miss out: hit follow to learn about ‘indefensible’ and more tricky prefixes!]

Transcript

[Aubrey Carter]

This is an Allers English podcast. Pesky prefixes part 1 insecurity or lack of security?

[Michelle Kaplan]

Welcome to the All Ears English podcast. Downloaded more than 200 million times. Are you feeling stuck with your English? We'll show you how to become fearless and fluent by focusing on connection, not perfection. With your American host, Michelle Kaplan, the New York radio girl and Aubrey Carter, the IELTS whiz coming to you from Arizona and New York City, usa. To get real time transcripts right on your phone and create your personalized vocabulary list, try the Allears English app for iOS and Android. Start your seven day free trial at allearsenglish.com app.

On part one of this three part series about prefix. Aubrey and Michelle talk about the word secure and common mistakes that are made when adding the prefix in to it. Time to clear up any confusion so you can feel more secure starting today.

Do you want a more international career? What if English no longer held you back from getting a promotion? Getting chosen for an important project or presentation? Imagine the possibilities if you had fluent English. Find out your English level now with our free level quiz. Go to allearsenglish.com fluency score again. That's allearsenglish.com F L U E N C Y S C O R E and we'll see you there.

[Aubrey Carter]

Hello, Michelle, how are you?

[Michelle Kaplan]

I'm doing well. Aubry, how are you? Nice to see you.

[Aubrey Carter]

Yes. Always a pleasure recording with you. I'm excited for this episode today. I'm excited question for you to start us out.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Okay, let's hear it.

[Aubrey Carter]

Were you insecure as a young person?

[Michelle Kaplan]

Yes.

[Aubrey Carter]

Same. I'm always impressed and kind of shocked when like a teenager isn't. When they seem extremely confident and sure of themselves. That was not me.

[Michelle Kaplan]

And it's hard because you know, I think about, I mean you, you have all some like older kids so I'm sure you've gone through this with them. But you know, it's so hard. I know that I'll have to deal with these things, these harder issues with my kids as they grow up because I was insecure again. Like I think that it's very common and you just want to tell them it doesn't matter.

[Aubrey Carter]

Right.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Because I'm. You're probably. I. I'm much more confident than I was when I was younger.

[Aubrey Carter]

Right. Yeah. You'll come into your own. Right? Right. We've all been there. We've all experienced insecurity, especially when we're young. But it's interesting because can place be insecure, Michelle?

[Michelle Kaplan]

Interesting.

[Aubrey Carter]

Yeah. No Right. This is not really.

[Michelle Kaplan]

No. The place can't be insecure, you would think.

[Aubrey Carter]

Because often we'll add that prefix in to mean like not able to be. So a lot of words we do add this. This. Actually recently I heard a student make this mistake. They said many cities have insecurity and what they meant was a lack of security. Right. They're unsafe. Right. But it's tricky because we don't. Yes, security secure means safe. That's what's tricky. It can mean both confident and safe. So it would make sense for insecure to mean. Yeah, both not confident and not safe. But it doesn't. English is too tricky.

[Michelle Kaplan]

It is. It's not going to make it that easy.

[Aubrey Carter]

Exactly.

[Michelle Kaplan]

So wow. This is going to be a really interesting topic. Guys, we also want to let you know that don't worry, Lindsay will be back. She is on vacation so you will see her soon. But today it's me, it's. It's the two of us.

[Aubrey Carter]

Us too. And we are going to share details about this vocabulary. Secure and security and their opposites. And these words can be used for excellent connection conversations. Right? Anyone? I want to know, were you insecure as a kid? When have you felt insecurity? Because even when we're young or maybe at work, if we're having to give a presentation and we're not confident about our public speaking, this vocabulary can use to connect in a lot of different ways.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Definitely. Yeah. So guys, this is actually going to be a three part series. So much fun. So this will be sharing common mistakes with prefixes. So this is going to be great. So hit follow for the rest of the series.

[Aubrey Carter]

Yes. And I wanted to give a quick shout out to Javier. I chatted with him yesterday at Open Conversation Club and he shared that he's been listening for 10 years. He's currently living in Brussels so we were able to chat about that. Cuz I used to live there as an au pair. But I love meeting a longtime listener. So shout out to all of you out there who have listened for years. It's always so fun to meet them.

[Michelle Kaplan]

For sure. Thank you, Javier. That is incredible and we're really thankful to have you listen to us.

[Aubrey Carter]

Absolutely. So let's dive in here. So first of all, we're talking about the word secure which can have two different meanings. Right. This is an adjective. But first it can mean confident. For example, I'm secure in my sense of style, so I dress the way I like without worrying about others opinions.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Nice. Or she felt secure in her decision to Change careers.

[Aubrey Carter]

Exactly. And this prefix in is often added to mean not capable of being, for example, invisible, incomplete. And we do use it here. We'll say insecure mean. Meaning not able to be confident. Right. So maybe I sometimes feel insecure when I'm speaking Spanish because I know I'm making a lot of mistakes. I have a feeling a lot of you out there feel that. Right. I do sometimes feel like, oh, are they noticing my mistakes? I try to remember connection, not perfection. It's okay.

[Michelle Kaplan]

That's right. Absolutely. Or you could say, sometimes I feel insecure about asking for help at work. So maybe you feel you have to put on some sort of front. You don't want to show any sort of weakness. So you might say that you feel insecure.

[Aubrey Carter]

Yeah, sometimes I feel insecure if I'm like, recording a social media video. I'm like, oh, I have to put on a little makeup, do my hair.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Whenever I go to record a social media video, I realize something about where I'm sitting. I realize just how much frizz there is in my hair. And then I go and I try and I try and get it down, and like, okay, I did it. And then I get there to go again, and it's still.

[Aubrey Carter]

We just have to embrace the frizz, you guys.

[Michelle Kaplan]

So.

Exactly.

[Aubrey Carter]

It's hard to not feel insecure about one's appearance, whether you're a teenager or whether you're older, especially if it's like a video you're posting online. If I'm just running to the grocery store, I could care less. But, yeah, for a social media post, I get kind of insecure about what I look.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Yeah, yeah, no, I get it. I get it. Well, you always look beautiful.

[Aubrey Carter]

Thank you. But, yeah, again, great topic for connection. Because if you out there ever feel insecure, whether. Whether it's about your appearance, your work performance, whatever it is, you're not alone. We all have those moments.

[Michelle Kaplan]

I don't think you'd be human if you. If you never felt a little insecure.

[Aubrey Carter]

Right.

[Michelle Kaplan]

But that's not the only way we use secure. So another definition of secure is actually safe.

[Aubrey Carter]

Yes. Okay.

[Michelle Kaplan]

So to be safe.

[Aubrey Carter]

So, for example, the children felt secure playing in the fenced backyard. And you could say safe there. They felt safe, they felt secure. Often we'll say both they felt safe and secure, which is kind of redundant, but we say that sometimes.

[Michelle Kaplan]

True. Like extra or. This is an interesting one. The building has security cameras to keep employees secure at all times. So notice security cameras. You'll hear that a Lot.

[Aubrey Carter]

Yeah, we're going to get into security here in a minute. But it's interesting, right? Those security cameras keep employees secure or safe.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Right. But here, with this kind of definition, the safety one, we don't say insecure or unsecure, but what do we say? Yeah.

[Aubrey Carter]

Instead we say unsafe.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Right.

[Aubrey Carter]

It's unsafe to walk alone in that park part of town at night. So this is interesting. This is where you can't always just add in and expect it to mean the opposite of a word. Especially for a word like secure that has two meanings, you know, safe and confident. It's not always going to be following the rules of like add in and it means the opposite.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Yep. Yeah, exactly. And then we also have the nouns which aubry you kind of hinted at that we were going to get to with security and insecurity. So security is a noun for safety. So the airport has tight security to ensure passengers safety.

Yes.

[Aubrey Carter]

Or having a buddy while jogging gives me a sense of security. Often when we're talking about security as safety, we'll say sense. Sense of security. I felt a sense of security.

[Michelle Kaplan]

And then here you can put the in in front of it. So insecurity. And what does that mean?

[Aubrey Carter]

Yeah, so this is a state of being vulnerable to. To danger. But what's interesting here is we use it in pretty specific contexts. We'll talk about job insecurity if you don't feel secure about your job. Food insecurity for people who don't always know where their next meal is coming from. You might say the organization provides meals to families facing food insecurity. But what's interesting is this is not used to describe a place as unsafe. Instead we'll say a lack of security. Right. The city has a lack of security. Or the city. Maybe the downtown is unsafe to indicate that a place is not secure.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Yeah, really interesting. So you might hear the building's broken locks created a lack of security for the residents.

[Aubrey Carter]

Yeah.

[Michelle Kaplan]

So yeah, you wouldn't say created insecurity.

[Aubrey Carter]

Exactly. So this is really tricky. You can see why this student made this mistake. Possibly listeners out there, you've made this mistake, maybe even without realizing, because this word. It's really tricky where we have multiple meanings, some of them to make the opposite. We can add that in for insecurity and. But we don't use it in all contexts.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Yeah, it's tricky. So. But then we also have the confidential definition. So insecurity can be also lack of confidence. So I have a lot of insecurity about my singing voice.

[Aubrey Carter]

Yeah. Or his insecurity about his writing skills made him hesitant to submit the article. But what's really interesting here, as I was preparing this episode, I kept it like, wow, this is so interesting. Things we don't think about as native speakers sometimes that we don't say security as the opposite of that to mean like a feeling of confidence in oneself. I wouldn't say I feel security about my singing voice. I would say I feel confident.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Right, Exactly. Yeah, very interesting. I mean, we. Yeah, we do use security to mean a feeling of confidence in something external though. So like I've gained security in my driving after practicing for months. Or we might say sense of security. Sense of security. Right. So how would that sound?

[Aubrey Carter]

So for example, having a supportive family gave her a strong sense of security in her life. So it's interesting because when we're talking about ourself, anything that's about self confidence, we wouldn't say security. We'll say confidence. I feel confident about this. I have confidence. But then for something external, we definitely will say I feel a sense of security about my home, my neighborhood. When it's something external.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Interesting.

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[Aubrey Carter]

All right, we have a role play here to use a bunch of these meanings. You and I are friends talking before a party here, Michelle. I'll start us out.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Okay.

[Aubrey Carter]

I'm feeling a bit of insecurity about tonight. What if I don't know anyone?

[Michelle Kaplan]

Don't worry, you'll be fine. I know a lot of people there and I feel secure in my ability to introduce people without making it awkward.

[Aubrey Carter]

Oh, thanks. I appreciate it. You seem to know everyone. Hopefully it's more secure than the place we went to downtown.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Oh, yeah. The venue has good security, so at least we don't have to worry about that. You can just relax and have fun.

[Aubrey Carter]

Nice. That definitely gives me a sense of security. It should be fun tonight. Good. Yeah. Let's go through this. So we used a bunch of these here. The first one, feeling insecure. Right. But it's interesting how here I'm talking about self, like about myself. Right. I'm feeling insecure. I might not know anyone. I feel like I'm not going to have anyone to talk to. So I could say I feel insecure about tonight. Or I could say feeling a bit of insecurity.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Yeah, yeah. Which one to you feels more.

[Aubrey Carter]

I would more likely say I feel insecure, probably. Or even like, I feel uncomfortable. I feel awkward. There's a lot of ways we could say this when we're saying like, like, I don't feel confident.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Right. I don't. You might even just say, I don't feel great about tonight. But. Yeah, but guys, the point here is to show you how it can be used.

[Aubrey Carter]

Exactly. And then you said, I feel secure in my ability to introduce people. And here you could say confident or secure.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Right, Exactly. And then we're going on to the safety aspect. So you said, hopefully it's more secure than the place we went to downtown.

[Aubrey Carter]

Yeah. Meaning safer. Right. We went to someplace that did not feel secure. Maybe there were no. There was no security. Maybe it was really dark. And then you said, oh, yeah, this venue has good security. So that would probably mean cameras or, you know, security personnel. Right.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Security guards. Right. You.

[Aubrey Carter]

Right.

[Michelle Kaplan]

So yeah, that's another, like a collocation.

[Aubrey Carter]

You'll hear.

[Michelle Kaplan]

It's like a security guard. Right. That's a lot of celebrities have them. Right?

[Aubrey Carter]

Exactly, exactly. Like a bodyguard, basically a person providing security. Yes.

[Michelle Kaplan]

And then you said, that definitely gives me a sense of security.

[Aubrey Carter]

Yeah. And so it's interesting because we're trying to use these in this role play. A lot of these terms are quite formal. Like in just the average daily conversation, I'd just be like, yeah, that makes me feel safer. Right. There are these more informal terms that we might use instead with like a friend. But these could come up, up at work when we're talking about security. At a conference, at a function, of course. But the one of the biggest takeaways here is it's really easy to make errors with this language because there are a lot of things that we would not describe as insecure or as having insecurity.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Right? Yeah, it's really interesting. Yeah. I think that this is really important to explain this. And guys, as just another part of the takeaway is to always be a little skeptical with those prefixes. You know, this is not something that a textbook is just going to start outlining for you. So that's why we're here to really point it out for you. And definitely again, hit follow because we're going to be doing three parts of this series. So this is the first part, hit follow because the next ones will be coming up soon.

[Aubrey Carter]

Yes. I have been collecting mistakes that I hear native speakers make with prefixes. Like just yesterday at volleyball, I heard someone say undefensible when they meant indefensible. There are so many of these little prefix mistakes.

[Michelle Kaplan]

We make them all the time.

[Aubrey Carter]

All the time. And all the time, really, both will be possible or correct. Right. So I'm excited to dive into this. Be sure to hit follow to get this whole series.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Okay. Awesome. Aubrey. Well, thanks so much for talking with me today. And guys, thank you for listening.

Yes.

[Aubrey Carter]

Awesome. See you next time, Michelle.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Bye bye.

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