Suffixes List in English

Suffixes are powerful building blocks in the English language. They are word endings added to base words that change their meaning or grammatical function—helping us form nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs. At Belekar Sir’s Academy, we believe that learning suffixes not only boosts your vocabulary but also improves your ability to decode unfamiliar words in reading and writing. 

This guide will walk you through the most common suffixes in English, their meanings, and examples—so you can use them confidently in any context, whether you’re preparing for school exams or competitive English tests.

Introduction

Suffixes are key building blocks in the English language. A suffix is a letter or group of letters added to the end of a word to change its meaning, part of speech, or grammatical role. Mastering suffixes can help you grow your vocabulary, improve spelling, and better understand new or complex words.

Why are suffixes important?

• Build Vocabulary: You can form many related words from a single root word (e.g., “kind” → “kindness,” “kindly”).
  
• Clarify Grammar: Suffixes show whether a word is a noun, verb, adjective, or adverb.
  
• Support Spelling: Recognizing common suffix patterns makes it easier to spell and identify word families.
  
• Improve Communication: Knowing how to use suffixes leads to clearer, more precise writing and speaking.

In the sections that follow, you’ll find a well-organized list of common English suffixes, grouped by function, with clear examples to help you use them effectively in everyday language.

What Is a Suffix?

Definition of a Suffix

A suffix is a letter or group of letters added to the end of a base word to change its meaning, function, or part of speech. For example:

• happy + -ness = happiness
  
• walk + -ed = walked

Suffixes are a type of affix, specifically placed at the end of a word.

Purpose of Suffixes in English

Suffixes help you:

• Change the word type: Turn adjectives into nouns, verbs into adjectives, etc.
  Example: quick → quickly (adjective to adverb)
  
• Show grammar changes: Indicate tense, plurality, comparison, and more.
  Examples: cat → cats, walk → walked, big → biggest
  
• Expand your vocabulary: Once you know common suffixes, you can easily understand or create new words.

Quick Comparison: Prefix vs. Suffix vs. Root

• Prefix: Comes before the root. un- in undo
  
• Root/Base: The main word. do in undo, doing
  
• Suffix: Comes after the root. -ing in doing

Types of English Suffixes

English suffixes are grouped into two main types: derivational and inflectional. Understanding both helps build vocabulary, improve grammar, and sharpen writing skills.

1. Derivational Suffixes

These suffixes change the meaning or part of speech of the base word. They help create new words with new functions.

Examples:

• -ness (forms nouns): happy → happiness
  
• -less (forms adjectives): hope → hopeless
  
• -ly (forms adverbs): quick → quickly
  
• -ment (forms nouns): develop → development
  

Derivational suffixes help identify whether a word is a noun, verb, adjective, or adverb.

2. Inflectional Suffixes

These suffixes do not change the word’s part of speech, but they adjust tense, number, or comparison to fit grammatical rules.

Examples:

• -s (plural): cat → cats
  
• -ed (past tense): walk → walked
  
• -ing (present participle): run → running
  
• -est (superlative): big → biggest
  

Inflectional suffixes make sentences grammatically correct by showing tense, plurality, and comparison.

Common English Suffixes: Meanings and Examples

Here’s a breakdown of suffixes by the part of speech they usually create:

Suffixes That Form Nouns

Suffixes That Form Verbs

Suffixes That Form Adjectives

Suffixes That Form Adverbs

This organized knowledge of suffixes makes it easier to recognize, decode, and form new words correctly in both speech and writing.

Complete List of English Suffixes (A–Z)

This comprehensive list includes both common and specialized English suffixes. Each suffix is grouped alphabetically and includes its meaning and an example to help you understand its use in context.

A–E

F–J

K–O

P–T

U–Z

Specialized Suffix Categories

Medical Suffixes

Scientific and Academic Suffixes

Legal and Formal Suffixes

These suffixes appear in specialized contexts and are useful for understanding academic, medical, scientific, and formal language more precisely.

How Suffixes Affect Spelling

1. Dropping the Final ‘E’

• If the suffix starts with a vowel, drop the silent “e”:
  
  • hope + ing = hoping
    
  • make + er = maker
    
• If the suffix starts with a consonant, keep the “e”:
  
  • hope + ful = hopeful
    
  • safe + ly = safely
    

2. Doubling the Final Consonant

Follow the 1-1-1 Rule (1 syllable, 1 vowel, 1 consonant):

• run + ing = running
  
• hop + ed = hopped
  
• big + est = biggest
  

For longer words, double the consonant only if the stress falls on the last syllable and the same pattern applies.

3. Changing ‘Y’ to ‘I’

• If a word ends in consonant + y, change y to i before adding a suffix (except if the suffix begins with “i”):
  
  • happy + ness = happiness
    
  • party + es = parties
    
  • beauty + ful = beautiful
    
  • But: cry + ing = crying
    
• If the word ends in vowel + y, keep the y:
  
  • play + ed = played
    
  • buy + er = buyer
    

4. Irregular Plurals and Comparatives

Some words do not follow typical suffix rules:

• child → children
  
• man → men
  
• good → better, best
  
• bad → worse, worst
  

Most regular words form plurals by adding -s or -es:

• box → boxes
  
• leaf → leaves
  

For comparisons:

• big → bigger, biggest
  

Apply spelling rules as needed (like doubling consonants or changing “y” to “i”).

Suffix Practice Activities

1. Suffix Matching Exercise

Match each base word to the correct suffix to form a complete word:

Answers:
1–a → teacher
2–b → hopeful
3–c → action
4–d → quickly
5–e → darken

2. Fill-in-the-Blank Word Formation

Add the correct suffix to complete each sentence:

1. She was very _______________ (help) during the project.
   
2. The _______________ (move) of the car was smooth.
   
3. He spoke _______________ (quiet) to avoid waking the baby.
   
4. The story was full of _______________ (excite).
   
5. They _______________ (visit) their grandparents last weekend.
   

Answers:

1. helpful
   
2. movement
   
3. quietly
   
4. excitement
   
5. visited

3. Choose the Correct Suffix

Select the correct suffix to complete each word:

1. Create + (ion / ness) = _______________
   
2. Friend + (ful / ship) = _______________
   
3. Beauty + (ous / ful) = _______________
   
4. Read + (er / ist) = _______________
   
5. Dark + (en / ly) = _______________
   

Answers:

1. creation
   
2. friendship
   
3. beautiful
   
4. reader
   
5. darken

Answer Explanations

• Teacher: someone who teaches (teach + er)
  
• Hopeful: full of hope (hope + ful)
  
• Action: the process of acting (act + ion)
  
• Quickly: in a quick way (quick + ly)
  
• Darken: to make dark (dark + en)
  
• Helpful: giving help (help + ful)
  
• Movement: act of moving (move + ment)
  
• Quietly: in a quiet way (quiet + ly)
  
• Excitement: the state of being excited (excite + ment)
  
• Visited: past tense of visit (visit + ed)

These exercises are designed to strengthen your understanding of suffixes and help you build vocabulary by recognizing common word patterns and meanings. Practice regularly to boost both your spelling and comprehension skills.

Conclusion – List of Suffixes in English

Learning suffixes helps you unlock the meaning of thousands of English words. From turning nouns into adjectives (e.g., “hope” → “hopeful”) to forming new nouns (e.g., “act” → “action”), suffixes are essential for understanding how the language works. As you read and write more, pay attention to the endings of words—you’ll start to see familiar patterns and improve your language skills naturally.

At Belekar Sir’s Academy, we encourage students to learn suffixes not just by memorizing lists, but by using them actively in speaking and writing. Keep practicing, and suffixes will soon become second nature.

Frequently Asked Questions

Mangesh Belekar

Belekar Sir is the founder and lead instructor at Belekar Sir’s Academy, a trusted name in English language education. With over a decade of teaching experience, he has helped thousands of students—from beginners to advanced learners—develop fluency, confidence, and real-world communication skills. Known for his practical teaching style and deep understanding of learner needs, Belekar Sir is passionate about making English accessible and empowering for everyone. When he’s not teaching, he’s creating resources and guides to support learners on their journey to mastering spoken English.