NOUN suffixes
Suffix Added to Meaning Examples
-age verbs; nouns the action or result of; the Break breakage; marry
state of condition of; a set marriage; bag baggage; mile
or group of; an amount of; mileage; post postage;
the cost of; a place where anchor anchorage
-al verbs a process or state of Deny denial; survive
survival; arrive arrival; bury
burial
-ance Adjectives; the action or state of Elegant elegance; important
verbs importance; ignorant
ignorance; relevant relevance;
allow allowance; perform
performance
-ancy (1) the state or quality of Expect expectancy
-ant verbs A person or thing that Inhabit inhabitant; depend
dependant
-cy (1) adjectives; the state or quality of; the Infant infancy; private
nouns status or position of privacy; accurate accuracy;
chaplain chaplaincy
-dom Nouns; verbs The condition or state of; King kingdom; duke
the rank of or the are ruled dukedom; star stardom; bore
by; the group of boredom; free freedom;
martyr martyrdom
-ee Verbs; A person affected by an Employ employee; absent
adjectives action; a person described absentee; refuge refugee; train
as or concerned with trainee
-eer Verbs A person concerned with Auction auctioneer; mountain
mountaineer
-ence the action or state of confidence
-ency (1) the state or quality of complacency
-ent verbs a person or thing that Deter deterrent
-er Verbs; nouns; A person or thing that; a love lover; win winner;
adjectives person or thing that has the compute computer; foreign
thing or quality mentioned; foreigner; lexicography
a person concerned with; a lexicographer; Dublin
person belonging to Dubliner
-(e)ry Adjectives; The group or class of Green greenery; brave
verbs; nouns something; the state or bravery; rival rivalry; cook
character of; the art or cookery; arch archery; bake
practice of; a place where bakery; deliver delivery
something is made, grows,
lives, etc.
-ese nouns From a place; a person who Portugal Portuguese; Vienna
lives in a country or city; Viennese; journal
the style or language of journalese; official officialese
-ess nouns female Host hostess; waiter
waitress; lion lioness; tiger
tigress; god goddess
-ette Nouns female Usher usherette; suffrage
suffragette
-ful Nouns An amount that fills Hand handful; spoon
something spoonful
-hood nouns The state or quality of; a Parent parenthood; child
group of people of the type childhood; neighbour
mentioned neighbourhood; brother
brotherhood; priest priesthood
-ian nouns From, typical of; a Boston Bostonian; Brazil
specialist in; a person who Brazilian; Shakespeare
does something as a job or Shakespearian; mathematics
hobby mathematician; physics
physician; history historian;
comedy comedian; politics
politician
-ics The science, art or activity Physics; politics; dramatics;
of athlete athletics
-ing verbs suffer suffering; drive
driving; mean meaning; swim
swimming
-ion (also verbs The action or state of dictate dictation; hesitate
-ation; -ition; hesitation; compete
-sion, -tion; competition; confess
-xion) confession
-ism nouns; The action or result of; the Criticism; hero heroism;
adjectives state or quality of; the Buddha Buddhism; race
teaching, system or racism; American
movement of; unfair Americanism; colloquial
treatment or hatred for the colloquialism; alcohol
reason mentioned; a feature alcoholism
of language of the type
mentioned; a medical
condition or disease
-ist nouns A person who believes or AtheismAtheist;
practises; a member of a dentistrydentist;
profession or business violin violinist;
activity; a person who uses guitar guitarist;
a thing; a person who does plagiarist
something
-ity adjectives Condition or quality of complex complexity; creative
creativity; secure security;
equal equality; curious
curiosity; formal formality;
flexible flexibility; able
ability
-let nouns Small; not very important book booklet; pig piglet;
star starlet; brace bracelet
-ment verbs The action or result of Retire retirement ; develop
development ; arrange
arrangement ; embarrass
embarrassment ; excite
excitement
-ness adjectives The state or quality of happy happiness; ill illness;
dark darkness; lonely
loneliness; mad madness; kind
kindness; busy business
-or verbs A person or thing that dose Act actor; sail sailor;
something as job conduct conductor; comment
commentator
-ship nouns The state or quality of; the Owner ownership; friend
status or office of; skill or friendship; citizen citizenship;
ability as; the group of professor professorship;
musician musicianship;
member membership
-th Verbs; The action or process of Grow growth; strong
adjectives strength; long length; true
truth; deep depth; wide
width; dead death
-ure verbs The action, process or fail failure; close closure;
result of depart departure; please
pleasure
-y verbs The action or process of Inquire inquiry
ADJECTIVE suffixes
Suffix Added to Meaning Examples
-able Verbs; nouns That can or must be; Reason reasonable; tax
having the quality of taxable; fashion fashionable;
comfort comfortable; change
changeable; eat eatable
-al nouns Connected with Magic magical; verb verbal;
music musical; nation
national; accident accidental;
environment environmental
-ant Verbs That is or does something Signify significant; ignore
ignorant
-ed Nouns; verbs Having; having the Talent talented; beard
characteristics of; that bearded; disease diseased;
suffers or receives some interest interested; bore
kind of feeling or effect bored; excite excited; embarrass
embarrassed
-en nouns Made of; looking like Wood wooden; gold golden
-ent verbs That is or does something Differ different; compete
competent
-esque nouns In the style of Statue statuesque; Dante
dantesque
-ful Nouns; verbs Full of; having the Sorrow sorrowful; forget
qualities of; tending to forgetful; success successful;
peace peaceful; help helpful
-ial Nouns Typical of Dictator dictatorial
-ian nouns From, typical of Belgium Belgian; Brazil
Brazilian; Shakespeare
Shakespearian
-ible Verbs; nouns That can or must be; Horror horrible; sense
having the quality of sensible; access accessible;
divide divisible
-ic Nouns; verbs Connected with, that Scene scenic; economy
performs the action economic; Arab Arabic; horrify
mentioned horrific; specify specific
-ing Nouns; verbs That does or produces Interest interesting; embarrass
some kind of feeling or embarrassing; bore boring;
effect amaze amazing
-(i)ous nouns Having the nature or Poison poisonous; glory
quality of glorious; mystery mysterious
-ish Nouns; From the country Turkey Turkish; Ireland
adjectives mentioned; [disapproving] Irish; Spain Spanish; child
having the nature of, like; childish; yellow yellowish
fairly, approximately
-ive Verbs Tending to; having the Explode explosive; describe
nature of descriptive; express expressive
-less nouns Without; not doing, not Tree treeless; hair hairless;
affected by meaning meaningless; hope
hopeless; harm harmless
-like nouns Similar to; typical of Child Child-like; shell shell-
like; god godlike
-ly nouns Having the qualities of; at Friend friendly; coward
intervals of cowardly; scholar scholarly;
day daily; month monthly;
year yearly
-some nouns Producing; likely to Fear fearsome; trouble
troublesome; bother bothersome
-y nouns Full of; having the quality Dust dusty; rain rainy; sun
of; tending to sunny; anger angry; thirst
thirsty; silk silky; hair hairy
VERB suffixes
Suffix Added to Meaning Examples
-ate Nouns; To give the thing or Hyphen hyphenate; active
adjectives quality mentioned activate
-en adjectives To make or become Black blacken; sad sadden;
broad broaden; less lessen;
sweet sweeten; sharp sharpen
-ify Adjectives; to make or become Solid solidify; beauty beautify;
nouns simple simplify; pure purify
-ise [BrE]/- Nouns; To become, make or Private privatise; fossil
ize [AmE] adjectives make like; to speak, fossilize; modern modernise;
think, act, treat, etc. in general generalize; critic
the way mentioned; to criticize; theory theorise;
place in pasteurize; hospital hospitalise
ADVERB suffixes
Suffix Added to Meaning Examples
-ly Adjectives; In the way mentioned; Happy happily; sudden
nouns at intervals of suddenly; lucky luckily; beautiful
beautifully; hour hourly ; day
daily
-ward(s) Nouns; In the direction of Back backward(s); up
adjectives; upward(s); out outward(s); east
adverbs eastward(s); home homeward(s)
-wise nouns In the manner or Clock Clockwise; side sidewise;
direction of length lengthwise