26 Common Suffixes in English

What Are Suffixes?

A suffix is a group of letters added to the end of a word to change its meaning or function. Suffixes can turn words into nouns, verbs, adjectives, or adverbs.

For example:

Read → Reader (verb → noun)
Use → Useful (noun → adjective)

Suffixes help you guess the meaning of new words and improve your vocabulary!

Types of Suffixes

Suffix Type	What It Does	Examples
Noun Suffixes	Turns a word into a noun	happiness, friendship, teacher
Verb Suffixes	Turns a word into a verb	modernize, strengthen, terrify
Adjective Suffixes	Turns a word into an adjective	beautiful, fearless, childish

Noun Suffixes

A noun suffix changes a word into a person, place, thing, or idea.

Suffix	Meaning	Examples
-acy	State or quality	Privacy, democracy, accuracy
-al	Act or process of	Refusal, arrival, proposal
-ance, -ence	State or quality	Confidence, importance, patience
-dom	Place or state of being	Kingdom, freedom, boredom
-er, -or	One who	Teacher, actor, painter
-ism	Doctrine or belief	Communism, realism, capitalism
-ist	One who	Scientist, artist, chemist
-ity, -ty	Quality of	Purity, serenity, equality
-ment	Condition of	Enjoyment, punishment, agreement
-ness	State of being	Kindness, sadness, happiness
-ship	Position held	Friendship, leadership, ownership
-sion, -tion	State of being	Transition, completion, decision

Example Sentences:
✔ Her kindness made everyone feel welcome.
✔ The artist painted a beautiful picture.

Illustration of Common Suffixes in English

Verb Suffixes

A verb suffix changes a word into an action or process.

Suffix	Meaning	Examples
-ate	Become	Celebrate, activate, regulate
-en	Become	Strengthen, darken, sharpen
-ify, -fy	Make or become	Simplify, justify, clarify
-ize, -ise	Become	Organize, realize, energize

Example Sentences:
✔ The company will modernize its equipment.
✔ She justified her decision with strong reasons.

Adjective Suffixes

An adjective suffix turns a word into a descriptive word (adjective).

Suffix	Meaning	Examples
-able, -ible	Capable of being	Comfortable, readable, flexible
-al	Pertaining to	Regional, cultural, personal
-esque	Reminiscent of	Picturesque, statuesque, grotesque
-ful	Full of	Hopeful, joyful, powerful
-ic, -ical	Pertaining to	Musical, mythical, magical
-ious, -ous	Characterized by	Curious, dangerous, famous
-ish	Having the quality of	Childish, foolish, stylish
-ive	Having the nature of	Creative, active, expensive
-less	Without	Careless, hopeless, fearless
-y	Characterized by	Sunny, messy, happy

Example Sentences:
✔ The house had a picturesque view of the mountains.
✔ He gave me a helpful suggestion.

Spelling Changes with Suffixes

Adding a suffix can change the spelling of a word:

Rule	Example
Drop the final -e if the suffix begins with a vowel.	Love → loving
Change -y to -i if it follows a consonant.	Happy → happiness
Double the final consonant if the word is short and has a single vowel before the consonant.	Run → running

Common Mistakes with Suffixes

Using the wrong suffix

❌ He is helpness.
✔ He is helpless.

Forgetting spelling rules

❌ Beauty → beautyness
✔ Beauty → beautiful

Mixing verb and noun suffixes

❌ He actify in the play.
✔ He acts in the play.

Everyday Use of Suffixes

At Work: "She is a manager of the company."
In School: "Your assignment is due tomorrow."
Talking About People: "My brother is a great painter."
Describing Things: "This book is very helpful!"

FAQs About Suffixes

What is the most common suffix in English?

The suffix -ed (past tense) is one of the most common, along with -ing, -er, and -tion.

How do suffixes change word meanings?

Suffixes can change a verb into a noun (act → action), a noun into an adjective (care → careful), or an adjective into a verb (modern → modernize).

Do suffixes change spelling?

Yes! For example, "happy" changes to "happiness" (y → i), and "hope" changes to "hoping" (drop the e).

Can I add any suffix to any word?

No, not all suffixes work with every word. For example, "friendful" is incorrect, but "friendly" is correct.

What’s the difference between -er and -or?

Both mean "someone who does something" (teacher, actor), but -or is more common in Latin-based words (creator, inventor).