Word part · Anglo-Saxon suffix
Suffix -th words: meaning and 22 examples
In short
The Anglo-Saxon suffix -th (from Old English) means "the state or quality of; or a number in order". Words with it include growth, warmth, health, stealth, outgrowth and sixth. Two jobs: it turns a word into a quality (warm, warmth) and makes order words from numbers (six, sixth).
- Part
- -th
- Meaning
- the state or quality of; or a number in order
- Origin
- Anglo-Saxon
- Words listed
- 22
Two jobs: it turns a word into a quality (warm, warmth) and makes order words from numbers (six, sixth). Some quality words change the base vowel: long, length.
Words with the Anglo-Saxon suffix -th
The list runs from shorter, common words to longer ones. The bands are a rough guide built from syllable count and how common each word is in our word list, not a grade-level standard. Read each word, then its word sum.
Colors:prefixroot or basesuffix
Start here: short, common words (about grades 3 and 4)
| Word | Word sum | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| growth | grow (root or base)+th (suffix)→growth | the process of growing |
| health | heal (root or base)+th (suffix)→health | the state of your body and mind |
| sixth | six (root or base)+th (suffix)→sixth | number six in order |
| seventh | seven (root or base)+th (suffix)→seventh | number seven in order |
| tenth | ten (root or base)+th (suffix)→tenth | number ten in order |
| fourth | four (root or base)+th (suffix)→fourth | number four in order |
More words: depth, length, strength, width, truth, wealth, fifth, eighth
Next: longer words (about grades 5 and 6)
| Word | Word sum | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| warmth | warm (root or base)+th (suffix)→warmth | the quality of being warm |
| stealth | steal (root or base)+th (suffix)→stealth | moving quietly so no one notices |
| hundredth | hundred (root or base)+th (suffix)→hundredth | number one hundred in order |
| thousandth | thousand (root or base)+th (suffix)→thousandth | number one thousand in order |
| eleventh | eleven (root or base)+th (suffix)→eleventh | number eleven in order |
More words: ninth, twelfth
Stretch: long or less common words (about grades 7 and 8)
| Word | Word sum | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| outgrowth | out (root or base)+grow (root or base)+th (suffix)→outgrowth | something that grows out of something else |
How do you teach the suffix -th?
Teach the number job first because it is regular: six, sixth; seven, seventh; hundred, hundredth. Line up a few students and name their places. Then teach the quality job with words that keep the base: warm and warmth, grow and growth, heal and health. Finally show the tricky group, where the vowel changes: long and length, strong and strength, deep and depth, wide and width.
A quick routine
Write warm, grow, heal and steal, then six, seven and ten. Say, "Th makes a quality word or an order word. Warm plus th is warmth." The student builds each word and says which job it does. Ask, "What is the base of depth?" Help them hear deep inside it. Finish by dictating fifth and twelfth, where the base changes its last sound.
What do students mix up with -th?
Path, bath, math, both and cloth end in t-h with no suffix. Health and wealth are real -th words built on heal and an old word, weal, which surprises most students. Fifth, ninth and twelfth change the number word before -th, so students misspell them as fiveth or nineth. Say the number and the order word side by side and spell the change.
For the sounds inside these words, see the phonics word lists. Routines that fit: meanings of prefixes and suffixes, circle the parts, read the base and flexible routine for big words.
Questions people ask
What does the suffix -th mean?
-th means "the state or quality of; or a number in order". It is a Anglo-Saxon suffix. Two jobs: it turns a word into a quality (warm, warmth) and makes order words from numbers (six, sixth). Some quality words change the base vowel: long, length.
What are some words with the suffix -th?
Start with growth, health, sixth and seventh. Then move to warmth, stealth and outgrowth. This page lists 22 words in all, most with a word sum that shows the parts.
Why is ninth spelled without an e?
The e at the end of nine drops before -th, even though th starts with a consonant. It is an old spelling that broke the usual pattern. Teach ninth, fifth, eighth and twelfth as a small group to learn by heart.
Related word parts
- -nessthe state of being
- -itythe state or quality of
- -wardin the direction of
- -sometending to, or causing
- -domthe state of being; or the land or rank of
Terms on this page: morpheme, root, prefix, suffix, base word, word sum, morphology.
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