What a suffix is
A suffix is a group of letters added to the end of a word to make a new word, or a new form of a word. Adding -ness to kind gives kindness, a noun. Adding -ly to quick gives quickly, an adverb. Suffixes often change the part of speech, and they sometimes change the meaning too.
Knowing common suffixes helps you in two ways. You can build new words from ones you already know, and you can often guess the part of speech of a new word from its ending.
Common suffixes by word class
These patterns are common, but English has many exceptions, so treat them as guides rather than strict rules.
Noun suffixes
| Suffix | Meaning or use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| -ness | state or quality | kindness |
| -ment | result or action | agreement |
| -tion / -sion | action or result | creation, decision |
| -ity | state or quality | ability, activity |
| -er / -or | a person or thing that does something | teacher, visitor |
| -ist | a person who works with or practises something | pianist, scientist |
Adjective suffixes
| Suffix | Meaning or use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| -ful | full of | careful, helpful |
| -less | without | useless, harmless |
| -able / -ible | able to be | washable, flexible |
| -ous | having a quality | dangerous |
| -y | characterised by | rainy |
| -al | relating to | national |
Adverb suffix
| Suffix | Meaning or use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| -ly | in a certain way | quickly, gently |
Verb suffixes
| Suffix | Meaning or use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| -en | make or become | widen, shorten |
| -ify | make or become | simplify |
| -ize / -ise | make or become | modernize (British: modernise) |
Spelling changes when adding a suffix
- Silent e. Drop the final e before a suffix that begins with a vowel (hope + ing = hoping). Keep it before a suffix that begins with a consonant (hope + ful = hopeful). Some words are exceptions, such as noticeable.
- Consonant + y. Change y to i before most suffixes (happy + ness = happiness, easy + ly = easily). Keep the y before -ing (carry + ing = carrying).
- Doubling. In short words with one vowel before a final consonant, the consonant is often doubled before a vowel suffix (run + ing = running, run + er = runner).
- Adverbs. Words ending in -le usually change to -ly (gentle becomes gently). Full becomes fully, and true becomes truly. Adjectives ending in -ic usually take -ally (dramatic becomes dramatically).
Exercise 1: make nouns
Add a suffix to the word in brackets to complete each sentence.
- Her ___ (kind) touched everyone.
- The ___ (agree) was signed yesterday.
- They made a quick ___ (decide).
- The ___ (happy) on their faces was clear.
- She has the ___ (able) to learn fast.
- The ___ (create) of the museum took ten years.
Exercise 2: make adjectives
- Be ___ (care) with that glass.
- The old phone was ___ (use). It never worked.
- The sweater is ___ (wash), so you can put it in the machine.
- It was a ___ (danger) road.
- It is a ___ (rain) day.
- She is a very ___ (help) person.
Exercise 3: make adverbs
- She spoke ___ (quiet) so that she would not wake the baby.
- The children played ___ (happy) in the garden.
- He closed the door ___ (gentle).
- I am ___ (true) sorry for the delay.
- The tank was ___ (full) empty.
- Can you explain it ___ (simple)?
Exercise 4: people nouns
Complete each definition with a noun made from the word in brackets.
- A person who teaches is a ___ (teach).
- A person who visits is a ___ (visit).
- A person who plays the piano is a ___ (piano).
- A person who studies science is a ___ (science).
Exercise 5: make verbs
- To make something wide is to ___ it (wide).
- To make something simple is to ___ it (simple).
- To make something modern is to ___ it (modern).
- To make something short is to ___ it (short).
Exercise 6: choose the correct spelling
Choose the correct form.
- happyness / happiness
- hopeing / hoping
- runing / running
- carefuly / carefully
- enjoyment / enjoiment
- noticable / noticeable
Answer key
Exercise 1: 1. kindness. 2. agreement. 3. decision. 4. happiness. 5. ability. 6. creation.
Exercise 2: 1. careful. 2. useless. 3. washable. 4. dangerous. 5. rainy. 6. helpful.
Exercise 3: 1. quietly. 2. happily (y changes to i). 3. gently (the -le ending becomes -ly). 4. truly (the e is dropped). 5. fully (one l is dropped). 6. simply.
Exercise 4: 1. teacher. 2. visitor. 3. pianist. 4. scientist.
Exercise 5: 1. widen. 2. simplify. 3. modernize (British spelling: modernise). 4. shorten.
Exercise 6: 1. happiness. 2. hoping. 3. running. 4. carefully. 5. enjoyment. 6. noticeable.
Study tips
- Learn word families. When you learn create, also learn creation, creative and creatively. A learner’s dictionary usually lists them together.
- Check the part of speech. If a sentence needs a noun, look for a noun ending. If it needs an adverb, look for -ly.
- Do not trust every pattern. Friendly ends in -ly but is an adjective, and early can be both an adjective and an adverb. Check a dictionary when unsure.
- Keep a suffix notebook. Record new words under their suffix, with a sentence for each. If you like notebook-based methods, the Goldlist method is one way to review such lists.
Related practice
Suffixes also explain words you meet while reading. For example, the ending -ic marks idiosyncratic as an adjective, and -y marks idiosyncrasy as a noun, as we explain in our guide to idiosyncratic words and their meaning. Another area where word endings matter is plural forms, which we cover in our irregular nouns with example sentences.