Word part · Latin suffix
Suffix -y words meaning act: 27 examples
In short
The Latin suffix -y (from Latin) means "the act, state or result of". Words with it include injury, jury, juries, liberty, liberties and symphonies. This -y makes a naming word: discover, discovery; honest, honesty.
- Part
- -y
- Meaning
- the act, state or result of
- Origin
- Latin
- Words listed
- 27
This -y makes a naming word: discover, discovery; honest, honesty. It is a different suffix from the -y in sunny, which describes. In honesty and difficulty it first came into English as -ty.
Words with the Latin suffix -y
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 |
|---|---|---|
| jury | jur (root or base)+y (suffix)→jury | a group of people who decide a case by the law |
Next: longer words (about grades 5 and 6)
| Word | Word sum | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| injury | in (prefix)+jur (root or base)+y (suffix)→injury | harm done to a body; first, a wrong done to someone |
| juries | jur (root or base)+y (suffix)+es (suffix)→jurieschange y to i | more than one jury |
| liberty | libert (root or base)+y (suffix)→liberty | freedom |
| liberties | libert (root or base)+y (suffix)+es (suffix)→libertieschange y to i | freedoms |
| symphonies | sym (prefix)+phon (root or base)+y (suffix)+es (suffix)→symphoniesthe prefix changes to match, then change y to i | long pieces of music for many instruments playing together |
| symmetries | sym (prefix)+metr (root or base)+y (suffix)+es (suffix)→symmetriesthe prefix changes to match, then change y to i | kinds of matching on both sides |
| symmetry | sym (prefix)+metr (root or base)+y (suffix)→symmetrythe prefix changes to match | matching parts that measure the same on both sides |
| victory | victor (root or base)+y (suffix)→victory | the result of being the victor; a win |
| victories | victor (root or base)+y (suffix)+es (suffix)→victorieschange y to i | more than one win |
| mastery | master (root or base)+y (suffix)→mastery | the state of having mastered a skill |
| honesty | honest (root or base)+y (suffix)→honesty | the state of being honest |
| difficulty | difficult (root or base)+y (suffix)→difficulty | the state of being hard to do; a problem |
| difficulties | difficult (root or base)+y (suffix)+es (suffix)→difficultieschange y to i | problems, more than one |
| delivery | deliver (root or base)+y (suffix)→delivery | the act of bringing something to a place |
| inquiry | inquire (root or base)+y (suffix)→inquirydrop the e | the act of asking about something |
More words: harmony, comedy, colony, agony, melody
Stretch: long or less common words (about grades 7 and 8)
| Word | Word sum | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| jealousy | jealous (root or base)+y (suffix)→jealousy | the state of feeling jealous |
| dishonesty | dis (prefix)+honest (root or base)+y (suffix)→dishonesty | the state of not being honest |
| modesty | modest (root or base)+y (suffix)→modesty | the state of being modest |
| discovery | discover (root or base)+y (suffix)→discovery | the act of finding something, or the thing found |
| discoveries | discover (root or base)+y (suffix)+es (suffix)→discoverieschange y to i | things found for the first time |
| recovery | recover (root or base)+y (suffix)→recovery | the act of getting better or getting something back |
How do you teach the suffix -y?
Students learn -y early as the ending that describes: sunny, rainy, salty. This -y does a different job. It names a thing. Discover becomes discovery, deliver becomes delivery, honest becomes honesty. Show the two side by side and ask what kind of word each makes: "Is salty a thing or a describing word? Is discovery?" Then read jury, injury and victory, where the base is less familiar.
A quick routine
Say, "This -y turns a word into a thing." Write discover, deliver and recover. The student adds -y to each and reads the new word. Then ask them to use it after "the": the discovery, the delivery, the recovery. Next, write sunny and discovery and ask, "Which one can you put after the?" End by spelling discoveries with y changed to i.
What do students mix up with -y?
The spelling is the same as the -y in sunny, so students mix the two. The quick test is to put "the" in front. "The honesty" works, "the sunny" does not. Also, a y at the end of a word isn't always a suffix at all. In happy or story there is no base to peel away, so leave those words alone.
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 -y mean?
-y means "the act, state or result of". It is a Latin suffix. This -y makes a naming word: discover, discovery; honest, honesty. It is a different suffix from the -y in sunny, which describes. In honesty and difficulty it first came into English as -ty.
What are some words with the suffix -y?
Start with jury. Then move to injury, juries, jealousy and dishonesty. This page lists 27 words in all, most with a word sum that shows the parts.
How is the -y in discovery different from the -y in sunny?
The -y in sunny makes a describing word: a sunny day. The -y in discovery makes a naming word, a thing you can talk about: the discovery. A quick check is to put the in front of the word.
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