Some letters change the function of a word in a sentence when added with these words. They are either attached before the word or after it. The group of letters which come at the end of the word are called Suffixes. Each suffix has its own meaning which completely changes the sense of the word.
Suffixes make one root word be used in different meanings without a need to memorize a lot of vocabulary words. Suffix itself makes vocabulary rich and easy to be used in daily life.
Many suffixes being used, for example, -ly, -less, -ous, -tion, -ness.
Let’s take an example of a very common word act. By the use of different suffixes, it becomes action, active, activity, activeness, activates, actively, actor, and so on. This shows how suffixes add a variety of words in the English language. It also makes the English language easy and interesting to learn.
Here is a long list of suffixes with examples one must remember.
Noun Suffix Words List
| Suffixes | Meaning | Examples |
| -ness | state of being | heaviness, highness, sickness, dryness, coolness, baldness |
| acy | quality | democracy, accuracy, lunacy, democracy, diplomacy, supremacy, autocracy, immediacy, obstinacy, intricacy, theocracy |
| -ist | person | geologist, protagonist, sexist, scientist, theorist, communist, receptionist, technologist, nutritionist, antifeminist, phlebotomist, editorialist, |
| -al | process of | remedial, denial, personal, trial, criminal, arrival, seasonal, global, magical, national |
| -en | become | sharpen, strengthen, loosen |
-tion | state of being | position, promotion, ambition, pollution, revolution, affection, caution, option, solution, revolution |
-ise | become | publicize, synthesize, hypnotize, advertise, advise, apprise, arise, chastise, circumcise, comprise, compromise |
| -or | person | creator, ablator, collaborator, inventor, abductor, irritator, franchisor |
| -ty | quality of | extremity, validity, enormity, susceptibility, territoriality, respectability, sentimentality, intentionality, |
-ment | condition | enchantment, argument, adjustment, achievement, amazement, punishment, payment, |
-dom | state of being | freedom, stardom, boredom, seldom, wisdom |
| -ence | quality of | ambiance, consequence, absence, convenience, experience, patience |
-fy
| make or become | justify, simplify, magnify, satisfy, personify, diversify, electrify |
-ate | become | mediate, collaborate, create, deliberate, duplicate, estimate, moderate, private, approximate |
| -ism | belief | judaism, skepticism, escapism, exceptionalism, existentialism, despotism |
| -ship | position held | friendship, hardship, internship, flagship, hardship, township, lordship, kingship, starship, headship, wardship |
| -er | the object that does a specified action | teacher, interpreter, reader, writer, listener, reporter, watcher |
| -ance | state | tolerance, nuisance, importance, acceptance, assistance, appearance, compliance, resistance, attendance, reluctance |
Noun Suffixes Words List and Examples
Verb Suffix Words List
Suffixes | Meanings | Examples |
-en | become | sharpen, strengthen, loosen, brighten, darken, deepen |
| -fy | Make | Justify, simplify, magnify, satisfy, diversify, intensify, exemplify, indemnify, demystify, personify, speechify, electrify. |
-ate | become | mediate, collaborate, create, accurate, appropriate, certificate, climate |
-ise | Become | publicize, synthesize, hypnotize, advertise, advise, apprise, arise, chastise, circumcise, comprise, compromise. |
Verb Suffixes Words List and Their Example Words
Adjective Suffix Words List
| Suffix | meaning | Example |
| –ible | ability | flexible, sensible, possible, impossible, horrible, terrible, legible/illegible, flexible, inflexible, accessible, inaccessible, compatible, incompatible, comprehensible, credible, incredible, digestible, feasible, unfeasible, plausible, implausible, credible, incredible, resistible, irresistible, gullible, edible, inedible, |
| –ish | a little | greenish, accomplish, relinquish, extinguish, outlandish, amateurish, impoverish, silverfish, cuttlefish. |
| –able | able to be | suitable, capable, comfortable, valuable, acceptable, remarkable, stable |
| –some | a tendency to | quarrelsome, handsome, gruesome, fearsome, tiresome, foursome, lonesome, liposome, ribosome |
| -en | made of | woolen, golden, wooden, sweeten, harden, flatten, lighten |
| -ful | full of | beautiful, powerful. grateful. colorful. doubtful. unlawful. peaceful. faithful. dreadful. |
| –like | similar to | lifelike, seamanlike, manlike, workmanlike, canelike, nutlike, sylphlike, apelike, trancelike. |
| –less | without | careless, meaningless, harmless, ruthless, countless, restless, careless, needless, reckless, pointless, breathless, powerless, relentless, motionless, worthless, stainless, lifeless, timeless |
| –ous | full of | cerous, comous, cymous, famous, fucous, iodous, joyous, lupous, miaous, mucous, nodous, odious, osmous, parous, pilous |
Adjective Suffixes Words List and Example Words
Adverbs Suffix
| Suffix | Meaning | Example |
| –ly | in a manner | quickly, badly, beautifully, boldly, bravely, breathlessly, carefully, certainly, correctly, dangerously, dutifully, eagerly, effortlessly, evenly, eventually |
| –ward | shows direction | forward, downward, backward, westward, eastward, windward, untoward, homeward, leftward. |
| –wise | in a manner of | crabwise, umbrellawise, castlewise, circularwise, flockwise, yokewise, zigzagwise, spirewise, choirwise. |
| –ways | shows direction | sideways, edgeways, fessways, lengthways, sunways, slantways |
Suffixes Words List for 3rd Grades
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