Suffixes in English with their Meanings

Explore the world of suffixes in English! Learn how adding endings like -ful, -less, -ness, and -ment can change a word’s meaning or part of speech. Perfect for improving your vocabulary and writing skills.

What are Suffixes

 

A suffix is a group of letters added to the end of a word to change its meaning or its part of speech (noun, verb, adjective, or adverb).

For example:

• teach → teacher (suffix -er turns the verb teach into a noun)

• happy → happiness (suffix -ness turns the adjective happy into a noun)

• use → useful (suffix -ful turns the verb use into an adjective)

Why Are Suffixes Important?

Learning suffixes helps ESL learners:

1. Understand word meanings — You can guess the meaning of new words.

2. Build vocabulary — One base word can create many new words.

3. Improve spelling and grammar — Knowing suffix patterns helps you use correct word forms in sentences.

List of Suffixes

• -able/-ible
• -ac/-ic
• -acy
• -acious/-icious
• -al
• -ance/-ence
• -dom
• -eer/-er/-or
• -escent
• -esque
• -fy
• -iferous
• -ise
• -ish
• -ism
• -ist
• -ity
• -less
• -ment
• -oid
• -ose
• -osis
• -ous
• -ship
• -sion/-tion
• -tude
• -y

Suffixes with Meanings and Examples

• -able/-ible 

Meaning: capable of

Examples: portable, legible

• -ac/-ic            

Meaning: like/related to

Examples: cardiac, Nordic

• -acy              

Meaning: state/quality of being

Examples: privacy, legitimacy

• -acious/-icious                  

Meaning: full of

Examples: gracious, malicious

• -al                 

Meaning: related to

Examples: logical, philosophical

• -ance/-ence             

Meaning: state/quality of being

Examples: maintenance, permanence

• –dom             

Meaning: state/quality of being

Examples: freedom, kingdom

• -eer/-er/-or              

Meaning: person who

Examples: mountaineer, writer, counsellor

• -escent                    

Meaning: becoming, to be

Examples: adolescent, fluorescent

• -esque                     

Meaning: like/reminiscent of

Examples: picturesque, Kafkaesque

• -fy                

Meaning: to make

Examples: magnify, electrify

• -iferous                   

Meaning: containing, yielding

Examples: vociferous, carboniferous

• -ise                

Meaning: make, become

Examples: civilise, terrorise

• -ish               

Meaning: having qualities of

Examples: hellish, fiendish

• -ism

Meanings: doctrine, belief, practice

Examples: favouritism, communism

• -ist                

Meaning: person who

Examples: chemist, florist

• -ity                

Meaning: state/quality of being

Examples: ingenuity, oddity

• -less              

Meaning: without

Examples brainless, endless

• -ment    

Meanings: state/quality of being, result of action

Examples: enjoyment, embankment,

• -ness             

Meaning: state of being

Examples: thinness, loneliness

• -oid               

Meaning: like

Examples: celluloid, ovoid

• -ose               

Meaning: full of

Examples: adipose, verbose

• -osis              

Meaning: condition

Examples: hypnosis, psychosis

• -ous              

Meaning: full of

Examples: illustrious, nauseous

• -ship             

Meaning: position held

Examples: friendship, membership

• -sion/-tion               

Meaning: state/quality of being

Examples: torsion, transition

• -tude             

Meaning: state/quality of being

Examples: fortitude, certitude

• -y                  

Meaning: characterised by

Examples: funny, greedy