Many words that have the prefix in- in Genoese obtained it through dissimilation of an ancient double consonant. Thus we find inlustrâ < from illustrem, inmenso < immensus, inludde < illudere, etc. Other lemmas have simply maintained the Latin prefix, as in inscrive < inscribere. Still others were formed by analogy, such as inmanegâ.

Completely different is the case of words such as imagine < imaginem which never had either the prefix in- or the double consonant, and for which writing in- would not be justified. The erroneous spelling inmagine, occasionally used by modern writers, is thus a form of hypercorrection based on Italian, and is certainly to be avoided.

In this dictionary, given its mainly didactic purposes (also aimed at the recovery of some of the more genuine forms, where they are of interest to users), both forms are recorded when they exist and are etymologically justified.