Word part · Anglo-Saxon suffix
The Anglo-Saxon suffix -er
Means: a person or thing that does something.
At a glance
- Part
- -er
- Meaning
- a person or thing that does something
- Layer
- Anglo-Saxon: Short everyday words, compounds and the most common prefixes and suffixes.
The word names someone by the job they do: a farmer farms, a singer sings.
Example words
Read each word, then its sum: the parts that build it, and what they mean together.
Colors:prefixroot or basesuffix
- teach (root or base)+er (suffix)→teacher
a person who teaches
- farm (root or base)+er (suffix)→farmer
a person who runs a farm
- paint (root or base)+er (suffix)→painter
a person who paints
- help (root or base)+er (suffix)→helper
a person who helps
- bake (root or base)+er (suffix)→baker
a person who bakes bread and cakes
bake + er: drop the e → baker
- run (root or base)+er (suffix)→runner
a person who runs
run + er: double the last letter → runner
- swim (root or base)+er (suffix)→swimmer
a person who swims
swim + er: double the last letter → swimmer
- re (prefix)+port (root or base)+er (suffix)→reporter
a person who carries news back to us
- trans (prefix)+mit (root or base)+er (suffix)→transmitter
a machine that sends out signals
trans + mit + er: double the last letter → transmitter
- pro (prefix)+pel (root or base)+er (suffix)→propeller
spinning blades that push a boat or plane forward
pro + pel + er: double the last letter → propeller
- photo (root or base)+graph (root or base)+er (suffix)→photographer
a person who takes photographs
- bio (root or base)+graph (root or base)+er (suffix)→biographer
a person who writes the story of someone's life
Original word lists and meanings written by Literacy Trail.
Taught alongside
Parts that share a lesson with -er.
- -ermore (when you compare two)
- -estthe most (when you compare three or more)
- in-in, or into
- re-again, or back
- ex-out
- trans-across, or from one place to another
- graphwrite, or draw
- -ichaving to do with, or like
- -edit already happened
- -inggoing on, or happening now
- dis-not, the opposite of, or apart
- -ablecan be, or able to be
Teach word parts with ready lessons
Literacy Trail has word parts lessons with words to read, build, split and spell, and full-screen players for the student. Every plan starts with a 15-day free trial.