Suffixes are groups of letters added to the end of a base word. They help you form new words and often change the word’s meaning, part of speech (such as turning a noun into an adjective), or grammatical function (such as changing a verb to past tense).
How suffixes work
- You start with a base word (like help).
- You add a suffix (like -ful) to form a new word (helpful).
- The new word may have a different meaning or grammatical role.
- Suffixes can be used to create nouns, verbs, adjectives, or adverbs.
- Some suffixes (like -ed or -ing) change verb tenses.
Examples
| Base Word | Suffix | New Word | Meaning / Function |
|---|---|---|---|
| help | -ful | helpful | full of help (adjective) |
| quick | -ly | quickly | in a quick manner (adverb) |
| teach | -er | teacher | one who teaches (noun) |
| use | -less | useless | without use (adjective) |
| move | -ment | movement | the act of moving (noun) |
Types of suffixes
Suffixes are grouped by the kind of word they create:
- Noun suffixes: create nouns (people, things, concepts)
- Verb suffixes: create verbs or change verb forms
- Adjective suffixes: create adjectives (describe nouns)
- Adverb suffixes: create adverbs (describe verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs)
Common suffixes
Here are some of the most common English suffixes, along with examples:
Noun suffixes
These suffixes form nouns, which can be people, things, or abstract ideas.
| Suffix | Example | Meaning | Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|---|
| -er / -or | teacher, actor | a person who does something | The teacher explained the lesson. |
| -tion / -sion | action, mission | the act or process of something | The mission is complete. |
| -ment | movement, agreement | the result or process of something | They made an agreement. |
| -ness | happiness, darkness | a state or quality | Happiness is important. |
| -ity | activity, reality | a quality or condition | The reality is surprising. |
| -hood | childhood, neighborhood | a state or period of life | I miss my childhood. |
| -ship | friendship, leadership | the state of being | Their friendship is strong. |
| -ist | artist, scientist | a person who practices or is concerned with something | The artist painted a portrait. |
Which suffix means 'a state or quality'?
-ness
The suffix -ness creates nouns that describe a state or quality, such as happiness or darkness.
Verb suffixes
These suffixes form verbs or change verb tenses and aspects.
| Suffix | Example | Meaning | Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|---|
| -ize / -ise | realize, organise | to make or become | I realize my mistake. |
| -en | shorten, brighten | to become or make | Shorten the paragraph. |
| -ify | simplify, justify | to make or cause | Please simplify the problem. |
| -ed | walked, jumped | past tense | She jumped high. |
| -ing | walking, singing | present participle / gerund | I am singing now. |
Adjective suffixes
These suffixes form adjectives, which describe nouns.
| Suffix | Example | Meaning | Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|---|
| -ful | joyful, careful | full of | She is joyful today. |
| -less | hopeless, careless | without | Don’t be careless. |
| -ous | dangerous, famous | full of, having | The tiger is dangerous. |
| -able / -ible | readable, visible | capable of | The text is readable. |
| -ic | artistic, scientific | relating to | She has an artistic talent. |
| -ive | creative, talkative | tending to | He is very talkative. |
Adverb suffixes
These suffixes form adverbs, which usually describe verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs.
| Suffix | Example | Meaning | Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|---|
| -ly | quickly, happily | in a … manner | She runs quickly. |
| -ward / -wards | forward, backwards | in the direction of | Move forward slowly. |
| -wise | clockwise, otherwise | in the manner of | Turn clockwise. |
What suffix means 'in the direction of'?
-ward / -wards
The suffix -ward or -wards indicates direction, as in forward or backwards.
Rules for adding suffixes
Some suffixes require spelling changes to the base word:
- If the base word ends in e, drop the e before adding a suffix that begins with a vowel:
- make → making
- hope → hopeful
- If the base word ends with a consonant + y, change the y to i before adding a suffix (except for -ing):
- happy → happiness
- try → tried
- For short words with a single final consonant, double the consonant before adding -ed or -ing:
- stop → stopped, stopping
- run → running
Common mistakes
- Don’t add suffixes to words that already have them (e.g., beautifull is wrong; correct: beautiful).
- Spelling rules must be followed (e.g., write happiness, not happyness).
- Some suffixes change meaning more than form (e.g., useful vs. useless have opposite meanings).
Which of these is a correct word?
beautiful
The correct adjective is beautiful with one l. Doubling suffixes incorrectly (beautifull) is a common mistake.
Summary
- Suffixes create new words by adding endings to base words.
- They can form nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs.
- Common suffixes include -er, -tion, -ed, -ing, -ful, -less, -ly.
- Spelling rules help you add suffixes correctly.
- Practice helps you internalize patterns and meanings.
Suffixes help you expand your vocabulary and express ideas more precisely. You can use suffixes to form new words, change word categories, and convey different meanings. This makes your English more flexible and accurate.
Last updated: Wed Jun 18, 2025
