Wondering how Suffix Words can make learning English easier? Suffixes are a group of letters which can help you understand new words, spell better, and understand the subtle nuances of the English language. But did you know that understanding how suffixes work can help you not only avoid common grammar mistakes but even help you speak or write in English more clearly? With our blog below, you will discover a suffix words list with examples and a worksheet for you to practice and build your vocabulary!
Table of Contents
Suffix Words are letters or a group of letters, like -er, -ing, or -ly, which we add at the end of a base word to modify its meaning or change its grammatical function. In addition to this, adding a suffix to a word can also create a new word. For example, if we add -er to the word teach, it creates “teacher”, which is used for someone who teaches.
Did you know that understanding different suffix words in English can help you figure out the meaning of new words, how to change a word's part of speech (noun, verb, adjective, adverb), and even improve your language proficiency? Let us take a look at some suffix definitions before we talk about their types.
The Cambridge Dictionary defines Suffix Words as “A suffix is a letter or group of letters added at the end of a word which makes a new word.” Whereas Merriam-Webster describes it as “An affix occurring at the end of a word, base, or phrase.”
Also Read: Degree of Comparison
Suffix words are generally divided into two main types. This is mainly based on whether they are modifying the base word’s grammatical function or its meaning. These two types are inflectional suffixes and derivational suffixes.
These types of suffixes change the meaning of the base word or its part of speech and are used to create a new word. In addition to this, these suffix words in English also change a word from a noun to a verb, an adjective to an adverb, etc.
For Example:
We use inflectional Suffixes to alter or change the grammatical form of a word and to show features like tense, number, or case. However, do keep in mind that, unlike derivational suffixes, they do not change the core meaning of a word.
For Example:
Also Read: Vowel Words
Now that we have talked about what are suffixes, their definition, and their types. Let us take a look at when we can use these suffix words in English effectively:
Below is a list of 100 suffix words which we have categorised based on the 10 most commonly used suffixes in English. This suffix words list can help you understand new words and improve your language proficiency:
We use the suffix –sion to form nouns from verbs and use them to show action, state, or process.
Base Word | Word + Suffix (-sion) | Example |
---|---|---|
Decide | Decision | She made a quick decision to join the team. |
Expand | Expansion | The company announced its expansion plans. |
Discuss | Discussion | We had a long discussion about the project. |
Explode | Explosion | The explosion was heard miles away. |
Confuse | Confusion | There was some confusion about the schedule. |
Include | Inclusion | Inclusion of all voices is important. |
Admit | Admission | His admission surprised everyone. |
Collide | Collision | The collision caused a traffic jam. |
Divert | Diversion | There was a diversion due to road construction. |
Conclude | Conclusion | In conclusion, the study supports the theory. |
We use -tion suffix words to show action, state, or result, and they are generally used to transform verbs into nouns.
Base Word | Word + Suffix (-tion) | Examples |
---|---|---|
Create | Creation | The creation of the mural took weeks. |
Inform | Information | The information was very helpful. |
Invent | Invention | His latest invention won an award. |
Relax | Relaxation | Relaxation is important for good health. |
Operate | Operation | The operation was successful. |
Compete | Competition | The competition was intense this year. |
Educate | Education | Education is the key to success. |
Combine | Combination | The combination of flavours was perfect. |
Celebrate | Celebration | The celebration lasted all night. |
Observe | Observation | Careful observation led to new discoveries. |
The suffix –ness is used to transform an adjective into noun and describe a condition, state, or quality.
Base Word | Word + Suffix (-ness) | Examples |
---|---|---|
Happy | Happiness | Her happiness was obvious to everyone. |
Dark | Darkness | The darkness made it hard to see. |
Kind | Kindness | His kindness touched many hearts. |
Weak | Weakness | Its weakness was a safety concern. |
Bright | Brightness | The brightness hurt my eyes. |
Sad | Sadness | The sadness lingered for days. |
Soft | Softness | The softness made it comfortable to sleep on. |
Cold | Coldness | The coldness of the water shocked me. |
Loud | Loudness | The loudness disturbed the neighbors. |
Fair | Fairness | Fairness is important in the courtroom. |
We add the suffix –less to a noun or verb to form adjectives and show the lack or absence of something.
Base Word | Word + Suffix (-less) | Examples |
---|---|---|
Hope | Hopeless | Without a plan, the situation feels hopeless. |
Care | Careless | Being careless can cause accidents. |
Fear | Fearless | The fearless firefighter saved the kitten. |
Use | Useless | The broken tool is useless now. |
Help | Helpless | He felt helpless during the storm. |
Power | Powerless | During the blackout, we were powerless. |
Thought | Thoughtless | His thoughtless comment upset her. |
End | Endless | The road seemed endless in the desert. |
Rest | Restless | She felt restless and couldn’t sit still. |
Fear | Fearless | The fearless explorer climbed the mountain. |
The suffix -ful is added at the end of a word to show either abundance and the presence of the quality of the root word.
Base Word | Word + Suffix (-ful) | Examples |
---|---|---|
Care | Careful | She is always careful with her work. |
Hope | Hopeful | He felt hopeful about the exam results. |
Joy | Joyful | The joyful celebration lasted all day. |
Help | Helpful | Your advice was very helpful. |
Fear | Fearful | The fearful dog hid under the bed. |
Use | Useful | This tool is very useful for gardening. |
Thought | Thoughtful | That was a very thoughtful gift. |
Power | Powerful | She is a powerful speaker. |
Beauty | Beautiful | The garden looks beautiful in spring. |
Play | Playful | The playful kitten chased the yarn ball. |
The suffix –ly turns an adjective into an adverb to show how an action is performed.
Base Word | Word + Suffix (-ly) | Examples |
---|---|---|
Quick | Quickly | She finished her work quickly. |
Happy | Happily | She smiled happily. |
Slow | Slowly | It moved slowly through the fog. |
Loud | Loudly | He spoke loudly during the meeting. |
Soft | Softly | She whispered softly to the baby. |
Brave | Bravely | He fought bravely in the battle. |
Quiet | Quietly | She entered the room quietly. |
Honest | Honestly | Honestly, I didn’t see anything. |
Easy | Easily | She passed the exam easily. |
Angry | Angrily | She shouted angrily. |
The suffix word –er is used in several ways, but is primarily used to for someone who does something. However, depending on the context, -er can have more than one meaning.
Base Word | Word + Suffix (-er) | Examples |
---|---|---|
Teach | Teacher | The teacher explained the topic well. |
Bake | Baker | The baker made fresh bread this morning. |
Run | Runner | She is a fast runner. |
Paint | Painter | The painter used bright colors. |
Drive | Driver | The driver was very careful on the road. |
Farm | Farmer | The farmer works from sunrise to sunset. |
Sing | Singer | The singer performed beautifully. |
Build | Builder | The builder finished the project early. |
Work | Worker | The worker repaired the machine. |
Dance | Dancer | The dancer moved gracefully across the stage. |
The suffix word -al is used to show a connection or relationship to the original noun in a sentence.
Base Word | Word + Suffix (-al) | Examples |
---|---|---|
Nation | National | The national holiday is next week. |
Region | Regional | The regional manager visited our office. |
Music | Musical | We went to a musical last night. |
Accident | Accidental | It was an accidental mistake. |
Culture | Cultural | The festival has many cultural events. |
Person | Personal | He shared his personal story. |
History | Historical | We visited a historical museum. |
Nature | Natural | This is a natural remedy for cold. |
Practice | Practical | She gave practical advice. |
Center | Central | This is a central issue for the team. |
-ist is used to create nouns and usually indicates a person who practices, specializes in, or is associated with a particular field, belief, or activity.
Base Word | Word + Suffix (-ist) | Examples |
---|---|---|
Art | Artist | The artist painted a beautiful portrait. |
Science | Scientist | The scientist made a new discovery. |
Biology | Biologist | The biologist studied the ecosystem. |
Guitar | Guitarist | The guitarist performed at the concert. |
Psychology | Psychologist | The psychologist helped the patient. |
Tourism | Tourist | The tourist took many photos. |
Optimism | Optimist | She is an optimist who always sees the bright side. |
Realism | Realist | He is a realist when it comes to business. |
Journalism | Journalist | The journalist wrote an interesting article. |
Motor | Motorist | The motorist followed the traffic rules carefully. |
Above are 100 suffix words based on the 10 most commonly used suffixes in the English language. Now, let’s test your knowledge with a few suffix exercises.
In conclusion, suffixes might look like small additions to words but they play a big role in how we understand, spell, and use English correctly. By learning common suffix words with the help of our blog above, you can easily expand your vocabulary, avoid grammar mistakes, and build better sentence structure. And if you need any help with prefix and suffix words, you can connect with our experts at Gradding, who will help you to take your English to the next level!
Also Read: Synonyms
In English, suffix words are letters or a group of letters that we add at the end of a word to modify its meaning or create a new word. For example, adding “-ing” to the garden becomes gardening. Additionally, suffixes also help in changing the grammatical function of the word and its part of speech.
The ten common examples of suffixes are -ing, -ed, -ly, -ful, -less, -able, -ness, -ment, -er, and –est. Which when added to a word, changes the function of the base word or modifies it.
The 20 suffix examples are –able, -al, -en, -er, -est, -ful, -ish, -ion, -ism, -ist, -ity, -ive, -less, -ly, -ment, -ness, -or, -ship, -th, and –y.
To know if a word is a suffix or not, you can look for word parts which are attached at the end of a base word and that cannot stand alone. Additionally, you can also look for letters which are modifying the meaning or grammatical role of words. Above are 100 suffix words based on the 10 most commonly used suffixes in the English language. Now, let’s test your knowledge with a few suffix exercises.
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