Word parts
Suffixes list with meanings and examples
In short
This list has 44 suffixes with their meanings, such as -ful (full of), -ness (state of being) and -tion (act of). Each links to a page of example words, 1037 in all, most shown as word sums.
A suffix comes last, after the base word or root. Most suffixes change the job a word does: teach is an action, teacher names a person, and teachable describes. The endings -s, -ed and -ing come first because students meet them in their first books.
Suffixes are where the spelling changes happen. A final e drops before a vowel suffix (hope, hoping), a short vowel word doubles its last consonant (run, running), and a y after a consonant turns to i (happy, happiness). Teach those three changes in their own short lessons.
When you teach a new suffix, ask two questions about each word: what is the base, and what job does the word do now? A student who can answer both can read and spell most words built with that suffix.
Suffixes and what they mean
| Part | Meaning | Origin | Sample words | Words |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| -ablealso ible | can be, or able to be | Latin | washable, breakable, lovable, flexible | 30 |
| -age | the act, result, amount or place of | Latin | usage, storage, shortage, package | 16 |
| -al | having to do with | Latin | musical, natural, magical, seasonal | 30 |
| -ancealso ence | the act of, or the state of | Latin | performance, appearance, assistance, annoyance | 30 |
| -antalso ent | a person who does something, or doing | Latin | assistant, servant, observant, excellent | 30 |
| -ary | relating to; or a place for | Latin | secondary, planetary, honorary, customary | 23 |
| -ate | to make or act on; or having | Latin | animate, animated, animating, inanimate | 25 |
| -dom | the state of being; or the land or rank of | Anglo-Saxon | freedom, kingdom, boredom, stardom | 12 |
| -ed | it already happened | Anglo-Saxon | jumped, helped, asked, kicked | 30 |
| -ee | a person who receives an action | Latin | employee, employees, trainee, payee | 14 |
| -en | to make or become; or made of | Anglo-Saxon | harden, sadden, sicken, shorten | 25 |
| -er | a person or thing that does something | Anglo-Saxon | teacher, farmer, painter, helper | 30 |
| -er | more (when you compare two) | Anglo-Saxon | taller, smaller, faster, softer | 20 |
| -eryalso ry | a place for; a practice; or things of one kind | Latin | bakery, bravery, fishery, greenery | 17 |
| -ess | a girl or woman in a role | Latin | princess, princesses, hostess, lioness | 16 |
| -est | the most (when you compare three or more) | Anglo-Saxon | tallest, fastest, oldest, longest | 21 |
| -ful | full of | Anglo-Saxon | helpful, careful, hopeful, thankful | 30 |
| -hood | the time or state of being; or a group of | Anglo-Saxon | childhood, boyhood, girlhood, knighthood | 15 |
| -ian | a person who does or knows about something | Latin | musician, politician, civilian, magician | 18 |
| -icalso ics | having to do with, or like | Greek | phonics, symbolic, rhythmic, graphic | 30 |
| -ify | to make | Latin | simplify, classify, purify, solidify | 28 |
| -ing | going on, or happening now | Anglo-Saxon | reading, singing, playing, thinking | 30 |
| -ish | a bit, or like | Anglo-Saxon | childish, greenish, reddish, selfish | 14 |
| -ism | a belief, a practice, or a way of acting | Greek | heroism, patriotism, tourism, journalism | 16 |
| -ist | a person who does, plays or studies | Greek | geologist, biologist, artist, tourist | 25 |
| -ity | the state or quality of | Latin | activity, creativity, reality, equality | 28 |
| -ive | tending to, or having the quality of | Latin | active, creative, massive, inventive | 30 |
| -ize | to make, or to become | Greek | sympathize, realize, modernize, criticize | 27 |
| -less | without | Anglo-Saxon | careless, fearless, useless, spotless | 24 |
| -ly | in a certain way | Anglo-Saxon | quickly, slowly, softly, carefully | 30 |
| -ment | the act or result of | Latin | payment, enjoyment, agreement, shipment | 21 |
| -ness | the state of being | Anglo-Saxon | kindness, darkness, softness, happiness | 26 |
| -oralso ator | a person or thing that does something | Latin | tractor, inspector, spectator, instructor | 30 |
| -oryalso atory | relating to; or a place where | Latin | advisory, sensory, accessory, laboratory | 16 |
| -ous | full of, or having | Latin | famous, joyous, nervous, mountainous | 30 |
| -salso es | more than one; or what one person or thing does now | Anglo-Saxon | plants, hands, jumps, boxes | 30 |
| -ship | the state of being; or a skill or position | Anglo-Saxon | friendship, hardship, membership, relationship | 19 |
| -some | tending to, or causing | Anglo-Saxon | tiresome, awesome, lonesome, wholesome | 13 |
| -th | the state or quality of; or a number in order | Anglo-Saxon | growth, warmth, health, stealth | 22 |
| -tionalso sion, ion, ation | the act of, or the result of | Latin | action, invention, creation, celebration | 30 |
| -urealso ture, ature | the act of, or the result of | Latin | closure, pressure, departure, exposure | 19 |
| -wardalso wards | in the direction of | Anglo-Saxon | upward, backward, downward, inward | 18 |
| -y | full of, or like | Anglo-Saxon | rainy, windy, sunny, shiny | 22 |
| -y | the act, state or result of | Latin | injury, jury, juries, liberty | 27 |
Word parts lessons, ready to teach
In Literacy Trail, each word parts lesson has words to read, build, split and spell, with full-screen players for the student. Every plan starts with a 15-day free trial.