Word part · Latin suffix
Suffix -ure words: meaning and 19 examples
In short
The Latin suffix -ure (from Latin) means "the act of, or the result of". It is also spelled ture and ature. Words with it include closure, pressure, departure, exposure, creature and pleasure.
- Part
- -ure
- Meaning
- the act of, or the result of
- Origin
- Latin
- Also spelled
- ture, ature
- Words listed
- 19
The sound depends on the letter before it: /chər/ in mixture, /zhər/ in closure, /shər/ in pressure. A final e on the base drops.
Words with the Latin suffix -ure
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 |
|---|---|---|
| closure | close (root or base)+ure (suffix)→closuredrop the e | the act of closing something |
| pressure | press (root or base)+ure (suffix)→pressure | the force of pressing on something |
| creature | create (root or base)+ure (suffix)→creaturedrop the e | a living thing, something created |
| pleasure | please (root or base)+ure (suffix)→pleasuredrop the e | a feeling of being pleased |
| mixture | mix (root or base)+ture (suffix)→mixture | the result of mixing things together |
More words: nature, culture, capture, feature
Next: longer words (about grades 5 and 6)
| Word | Word sum | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| departure | depart (root or base)+ure (suffix)→departure | the act of leaving |
| exposure | expose (root or base)+ure (suffix)→exposuredrop the e | being left open to sun, cold or view |
| composure | compose (root or base)+ure (suffix)→composuredrop the e | staying calm |
| enclosure | enclose (root or base)+ure (suffix)→enclosuredrop the e | a space with a fence or wall around it |
| moisture | moist (root or base)+ure (suffix)→moisture | a small amount of water in the air or on something |
| failure | fail (root or base)+ure (suffix)→failure | the result of not succeeding |
| signature | sign (root or base)+ature (suffix)→signature | your name written in your own hand |
| signatures | sign (root or base)+ature (suffix)+s (suffix)→signatures | names written by hand, more than one |
Stretch: long or less common words (about grades 7 and 8)
| Word | Word sum | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| displeasure | displease (root or base)+ure (suffix)→displeasuredrop the e | a feeling of being unhappy with something |
| disclosure | disclose (root or base)+ure (suffix)→disclosuredrop the e | the act of telling something that was hidden |
How do you teach the suffix -ure?
Start with close and closure: to close, and the act of closing. Then expose and exposure, compose and composure. In each pair the e drops before -ure, so the student sees one rule over and over. Read the pairs aloud and listen to the s change sound, from /z/ to /zh/. Fail and failure make a good extra pair because nothing drops. Mixture and signature show the longer spellings, ture and ature.
A quick routine
Write close, please, depart, fail and mix. Say, "Ure names the act or the result. Depart plus ure is departure: the act of leaving." The student joins each base to the suffix and tells you what the new word names. Pause on please and pleasure and ask what changed in the sound. Then dictate enclosure, reminding the student that the e drops. One sentence with pressure ends the routine.
What do students mix up with -ure?
Sure, pure and lure are whole words, not a base plus -ure. Nature, culture and capture do contain this suffix, but their bases are Latin parts, so leave them out of a first build lesson. Students also confuse -ure with -er at the ends of words because both sound like /ər/; signature is never spelled signacher.
Some of these words change spelling where the parts join. The spelling rules pages cover dropping e, doubling and changing y to i. 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 -ure mean?
-ure means "the act of, or the result of". It is a Latin suffix, also spelled ture and ature. The sound depends on the letter before it: /chər/ in mixture, /zhər/ in closure, /shər/ in pressure. A final e on the base drops.
What are some words with the suffix -ure?
Start with closure, pressure, creature and pleasure. Then move to departure, exposure, displeasure and disclosure. This page lists 19 words in all, most with a word sum that shows the parts.
Why does closure sound different from close?
The s in close sounds like /z/. When -ure joins it, the s and the u blend into /zh/, the sound in the middle of measure. The spelling barely changes, only the dropped e, but the sound shifts.
Related word parts
- -mentthe act or result of
- -tionthe act of, or the result of
- -agethe act, result, amount or place of
- -ancethe act of, or the state of
- signmark
Terms on this page: morpheme, root, prefix, suffix, base word, word sum, morphology.
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