A List of 26 Common Suffixes in English

How knowing common suffixes can help you understand what words mean

Noun, verb, and adjective suffix examples listed on a chalkboard. — Illustration by Melissa Ling. ThoughtCo.

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Updated on February 14, 2020

A suffix is a letter or a group of letters attached to the end of a word to form a new word or to change the grammatical function (or part of speech) of the word. For example, the verb read is made into the noun reader by adding the suffix -er. Similarly, read is made into the adjective readable by adding the suffix -able.

Understanding Suffix Meanings

Understanding the meanings of the common suffixes can help you figure out the meanings of new words you encounter. In some cases, the spelling of a root or base word changes when a suffix is added. For example, in words ending in y preceded by a consonant (such as the noun beauty and the adjective ugly), the y may change to an i when a suffix is added (as in the adjective beautiful and the noun ugliness). In words ending in silent -e (such as use and adore), the final -e may be dropped when the suffix that's added begins with a vowel (as in usable and adorable).

As with all spelling rules, there are exceptions. Not all suffixes can be added to all roots. For example, the adjective beautiful is formed by adding the suffix -ful to the noun beauty, and the noun ugliness is formed by adding the suffix -ness to the adjective ugly.

Also note that a suffix may have more than one meaning. With adjectives and adverbs, for instance, the -er suffix usually conveys the comparative meaning of "more" (as in the adjectives kinder and longer). But in some cases, the -er ending can also refer to someone who performs a particular action (such as a dancer or builder) or to someone who lives in a particular place (such as a New Yorker or a Dubliner).

Common Suffixes in English

Think of the 26 common suffixes that follow as clues to the meanings of words, however, bear in mind that the meanings of words are best determined by studying the contexts in which they are used as well as the construction of the words themselves.

Noun Suffixes:

*Suffix*	*Meaning*	*Example*
-acy	state or quality	privacy, fallacy, delicacy
-al	act or process of	refusal, recital, rebuttal
-ance, -ence	state or quality of	maintenance, eminence, assurance
-dom	place or state of being	freedom, kingdom, boredom
-er, -or	one who	trainer, protector, narrator
-ism	doctrine, belief	communism, narcissism, skepticism
-ist	one who	chemist, narcissist, plagiarist
-ity, -ty	quality of	inactivity, veracity, parity, serenity
-ment	condition of	argument, endorsement, punishment
-ness	state of being	heaviness, sadness, rudeness, testiness
-ship	position held	fellowship, ownership, kinship, internship
-sion, -tion	state of being	concession, transition, abbreviation

Verb Suffixes:

*Suffix*	*Meaning*	*Example*
-ate	become	regulate, eradicate, enunciate, repudiate
-en	become	enlighten, awaken, strengthen
-ify, -fy	make or become	terrify, satisfy, rectify, exemplify
-ize, -ise*	become	civilize, humanize, socialize, valorize

Adjective Suffixes:

*Suffix*	*Meaning*	*Example*
-able, -ible	capable of being	edible, presentable, abominable, credible
-al	pertaining to	regional, grammatical, emotional, coastal
-esque	reminiscent of	picturesque, statuesque, burlesque
-ful	notable for	fanciful, resentful, woeful, doubtful
-ic, -ical	pertaining to	musical, mythic, domestic, chiastic
-ious, -ous	characterized by	nutritious, portentous, studious
-ish	having the quality of	fiendish, childish, snobbish
-ive	having the nature of	creative, punitive, divisive, decisive
-less	without	endless, ageless, lawless, effortless
-y	characterized by	sleazy, hasty, greasy, nerdy, smelly

In American English, verbs end with -ize, versus British English, in which the spelling changes to -ise.

American English: finalize, realize, emphasize, standardize
British English: finalise, realise, emphasise, standardise

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Your Citation

Nordquist, Richard. "A List of 26 Common Suffixes in English." ThoughtCo, Apr. 5, 2023, thoughtco.com/common-suffixes-in-english-1692725. Nordquist, Richard. (2023, April 5). A List of 26 Common Suffixes in English. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/common-suffixes-in-english-1692725 Nordquist, Richard. "A List of 26 Common Suffixes in English." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/common-suffixes-in-english-1692725 (accessed April 19, 2024).