List of English suffixes
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This is an incomplete list of suffixes in English. Note that this list includes only derivational suffixes (which form new words, often of a different part of speech) and suffixes which serve to mark the part of speech. It does not include the inflectional suffixes which only produce new forms of a word without changing the part of speech (e.g. -s for the plural of nouns).
| Suffix | Part of speech | Meaning | Examples | Effect on word stress |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| -able | adj | capable, can do | usable, notable, comfortable | Neutral |
| -ad | noun | group | triad, monad | |
| -ade | noun | collective suffix | lemonade, accolade, blockade | Stressed suffix |
| -age | noun | forming a noun | marriage, mileage, garage | Neutral |
| -agogy | noun | leading | pedagogy, demagogy | Stressed suffix |
| -al | adj | aspect of | nominal, focal, (compare -ality) | Neutral |
| -al | noun | abstract noun | refusal, appraisal | Neutral |
| -ality | noun | property (aspect, behaviour, condition) of | proportionality, sexuality (see -al and -ity) | Stressed suffix |
| -an | adj | membership [1] | republican, urban, veteran | Neutral |
| -ance | noun | state of | relevance, annoyance, repentance | Neutral |
| -ancy | noun | state of | pregnancy, redundancy, vacancy | Neutral |
| -ant | adj | relevant, dominant, pleasant | Neutral | |
| -ant | noun | assistant, immigrant, inhabitant | Neutral | |
| -ar | adj | pertaining to | linear, alveolar | Neutral |
| -ar | noun | beggar, liar | Neutral | |
| -ard | noun | drunkard, coward, wizard, steward | Neutral | |
| -ary | adj | ordinary, secondary, military | Neutral | |
| -ary | noun | dictionary, library, seminary | Neutral | |
| -arch | noun | ruler, leader | monarch, tetrarch | Neutral |
| -archy | noun | rule, leadership | gynarchy, anarchy | Neutral |
| -ate | adj | literate, desperate, fortunate | Neutral | |
| -ate | noun | function | certificate, advocate | Neutral |
| -ate | verb | concentrate, oscillate | Neutral | |
| -athlon | noun | sporting event | pentathlon, decathlon | Stressed suffix |
| -ation | noun | state or concept of | invitation, pronunciation, starvation | Stressed suffix |
| -ation | noun | from verb with -ate, state or concept of | concentration, oscillation, narration | Stressed suffix |
| -ative | adj | talkative, lucrative, affirmative | Neutral | |
| -atory | noun | laboratory, conversatory | ||
| -bound | adv | heading in the direction of | inbound, outbound, citybound | |
| -cele, -coele, -coel | noun | body cavity | mucocoel or mucocoele | |
| -cele | noun | tumor, hernia | hydatidocele | |
| -centesis | noun | puncturing | amniocentesis | |
| -cephalic | adj | relating to the head | anencephaly, macrocephaly | |
| -chondrion | noun | small grainlike structure | mitochondrion | |
| -cide | noun | murder, killing agent | suicide, insecticide, regicide | Neutral |
| -city | noun | practice | atrocity | |
| -cy | noun | expressing the quality of an adjective | diplomacy, literacy, idiocy | Neutral |
| -cycle | noun | circle, cycle, unit of radio frequency | epicycle | Neutral |
| -dom | noun | state or condition of | freedom, boredom, kingdom | Neutral |
| -ectasia, -ectasis | noun | stretching out | brochiectasis, telangiectasia | |
| -ectomy | noun | surgical removal | laryngectomy, vasectomy | Stressed suffix |
| -ed | adj | bored, tiled | Neutral | |
| -ee | noun | changes verb to a noun (the object of that verb) | employee, referee, payee | Stressed suffix |
| -eer | adj | engineer, privateer | Stressed suffix | |
| -eme | noun | linguistic unit | lexeme, phoneme, morpheme | |
| -(a)emia | noun | blood condition | leukemia, anaemia | Stressed suffix |
| -en | adj | golden, wooden, written, frozen | Neutral | |
| -en | verb | lessen, deafen, frighten | Neutral | |
| -enchyma | noun | cellular tissue | mesenchyma, karyenchyma | |
| -ence | noun | independence, violence, absence | Neutral | |
| -ency | noun | frequency, clemency, consistency | Neutral | |
| -ent | adj | different, excellent, independent | Neutral | |
| -ent | noun | resident, regent, superintendent | Neutral | |
| -eous | adj | courteous | Neutral | |
| -er | noun | changes verb to noun (the subject of that verb, see also -or) | writer | Neutral |
| -ergy | noun | work | energy, synergy | |
| -ern | adj | direction | western, northern | Neutral |
| -ery | noun | slavery, machinery, nunnery | Neutral | |
| -ese | adj, noun | nationality, language; occasionally to create facetious language names | Chinese, legalese | Stressed suffix |
| -esque | adj | in the style of | Pythonesque, Romanesque, picturesque | Stressed suffix |
| -ess | noun | female | actress, waitress, stewardess, priestess | Neutral |
| -esthesis, -esthesia | noun | sensation, feeling | synesthesia, kinesthesis | Stressed suffix |
| -etic | adj | energetic, sympathetic, frenetic | ||
| -etics | noun | phonetics, memetics | ||
| -ette | noun | small ~ | diskette, statuette | Stressed suffix |
| -fare | noun | how things are going / coming along | welfare, fanfare, warfare | Stressed suffix |
| -ful | adj | full of, having some or much | hopeful, useful | Neutral |
| -gate | noun | a scandal, often political (back-formed from the Watergate scandal) | Watergate, nipplegate | Neutral |
| -gnosis | noun | knowing | prognosis, diagnosis | Stressed suffix |
| -gon | noun | angle | polygon, pentagon | Neutral |
| -gry | noun | adjective form of only 2 or 3 nouns in the English language | angry, hungry | Neutral |
| -hedron | noun | seat, face | icosahedron, tetrahedron | Stressed suffix |
| -holic | adj | love, addiction | alcoholic, workaholic | Stressed suffix |
| -hood | noun | state/condition of, a group sharing characteristics | brotherhood, adulthood, falsehood | Neutral |
| -ia | noun | abnormal state | mania, apraxia, dementia, dysarthria | Stress on previous syllable |
| -iable | adj | sociable | Stress on previous syllable | |
| -ial | adj | special, filial, remedial | Stress on previous syllable | |
| -ian | adj | mammalian | Stress on previous syllable | |
| -ian | adj, noun | Brazilian, Christian | Stress on previous syllable | |
| -ian | noun | librarian, barbarian, physician | Stress on previous syllable | |
| -iant | adj | deviant, defiant | Stress on previous syllable | |
| -iary | adj | tertiary | Stress on previous syllable | |
| -iate | verb | asphyxiate, deviate | Stress on previous syllable | |
| -ible | adj | capable, can do (same as -able) | incredible, terrible, visible | |
| -ibly | adv | incredibly, responsibly, terribly | Stress on previous syllable | |
| -ic | adj | (adjective) | neurotic, electronic, historic | Stress on previous syllable |
| -ical | adj | historical, phonological, economical | Stress on previous syllable | |
| -ics | noun | the study of | Physics,Aerodynamics,Forensics, economics | Stress on previous syllable |
| -id | adj | (categorical) property (aspect) of | hominid, candid, fervid (compare -al) | |
| -ie | noun | informal/slang ending to describe a person | trekkie, hottie, homie | Neutral |
| -(i)ency | noun | = ency with "i" theme vowel before it, derived from adjective (i)ent | expediency | Stress on previous syllable |
| -(i)ent | adj | = ent with "i" theme vowel | salient, sentient, expedient | Stress on previous syllable |
| -ier | noun | cashier, financier, gondolier | Stress on previous syllable | |
| –ify, –fy | verb | to become, make | clarify, specify, basify, vilify | Stress on previous syllable |
| -ile | adj | tactile, facile, volatile | Neutral | |
| -illion | for large numbers; often to create facetious ones | million, billion, gazillion (slang) | ||
| -ious | adj | delicious, religious, vivacious | Stress on previous syllable | |
| -ing | noun | noun from verb, in the process of | doing, acting | Neutral |
| -ing | noun | bedding, stuffing, roofing | Neutral | |
| -ion | noun | action, companion | ||
| -ish | adj | adjective from noun; sort of; approximately | foolish, selfish, greenish, tallish | Stress on previous syllable |
| -ish | adj, noun | nationality, language | Spanish, Turkish, English | Stress on previous syllable |
| -ism | noun | doctrine, act, practice, condition | Protestantism, alcoholism, Buddhism | Neutral |
| -ist | noun | person | dentist, socialist, cellist | Neutral |
| -ista | adept | fashionista Condista | ||
| -ite | noun | member of a group | socialite, Carmelite | Neutral |
| -itis | noun | disease, inflammation | hepatitis, gingivitis | Stressed suffix |
| -itive | adj | sensitive | Neutral | |
| -itude | noun | attitude, gratitude, Beatitude | Stress on previous syllable | |
| -ity | noun | expressing state or condition | normality, formality | Stress on previous syllable |
| -ium | noun | metallic element (exceptions: helium and selenium) | sodium, Calcium | Stress on previous syllable |
| -ive | adj | make the noun an adjective | defensive, aggressive, passive | Neutral |
| -ization/-isation | noun | organization/organisation, categorization/categorisation | Neutral | |
| -ize/-ise | verb | to cause, to be, to become | materialize/materialise, idolize/idolise | Neutral |
| -izzle | used for hip hop slang | Americizzle, fo'shizzle | ||
| -kinesis | noun | movement (ability thereof) | telekinesis | |
| -land | noun | place, region, city, country | Finland, Portland, hinterland | |
| -less | adj | lack of | homeless, useless, careless | Neutral |
| -let | noun | diminutive, or denoting a relation to some part of the body | ringlet, hamlet, anklet | Neutral |
| -like | adj | having the qualities of | childlike | Neutral |
| -ling | noun | smaller, younger, cuter or weaker version of the noun root OR sharing an identity or quality of the noun root (e.g. as a follower) | darling, duckling, earthling, sapling | Neutral |
| -ly | adj | -like, having the attributes of | stately, monthly | Neutral |
| -ly | adv | -like, having the attributes of | quickly | Neutral |
| -man | noun | person | fireman, statesman | Neutral |
| -mancy | noun | divination by | bibliomancy, necromancy | Neutral |
| -mania | noun | an irrational but irresistible motive for a belief or action | kleptomania, megalomania, mythomania | Stressed suffix |
| -ment | noun | abstract noun | movement, amazement, government | Neutral |
| -meter | noun | measuring device | barometer, thermometer | |
| -metry | noun | measure | symmetry, geometry, isometry | |
| -mony | noun | testimony, ceremony | Neutral | |
| -morphism | noun | form | isomorphism, homomorphism | |
| -most | adj | utmost, innermost | Neutral | |
| -nesia | noun | archipelago | Indonesia, Polynesia | |
| -ness | noun | abstract noun | kindness, ruthlessness, darkness | Neutral |
| -nik | noun | Slavic origin; corresponds to "-er" | sputnik, beatnik | |
| -ocracy | noun | system of government | democracy, androcracy | Stressed suffix |
| -ogram | noun | writing, description | ideogram | Stressed suffix |
| -ography | noun | study of | stenography, geography, photography | Stressed suffix |
| -oid | adj | resembling | solenoid, hominoid | |
| -oid | noun | resembling | planetoid | |
| -ologist | noun | one who studies a scientific subject | archaeologist | Stressed suffix |
| -ology | study, science | biology, planetology | Stressed suffix | |
| -ome | noun | subject of an "-omics" | genome | |
| -omics | noun | study of rules | proteomics, economics | Stressed suffix |
| -onomy | noun | knowledge of | astronomy | Stressed suffix |
| -onym | noun | name, word | antonym, heteronym | |
| -opsy | noun | examination | autopsy, biopsy | |
| -or | noun | changes verb to noun (see also -er), person | actor, governor | Neutral |
| -or or -our | noun | candor, fervour, color | ||
| -ory | adj | auditory, sensory | Neutral | |
| -ory | noun | history, repository | ||
| -ose | adj | full of, like, given to; carbohydrates, protein derivatives | verbose; globose | |
| -osis | noun | process, action, formation, diseased condition | mitosis, osmosis, psychosis | |
| -ous | adj | adjectival suffix | porous, disastrous, nervous | Neutral |
| -pedia | noun | encyclopedia like book | wikipedia, intellipedia | See Citizendium. |
| -phagy, -phagia | noun | eating | monophagy | |
| -philia | noun | attraction | hemophilia | |
| -phobia | noun | fear | acrophobia, mysophobia | |
| -phone | noun, adj | sound, audio; speaker of a language | telephone, homophone; Anglophone | Neutral |
| -phyte | noun | plant, used in botany to create terms which categorise plants based on their life-history, growth-form or ecological preferences | therophyte, halophyte | |
| -polis | noun | referring to city or big area | Metropolis, Indianapolis | |
| -science | noun | knowing | omniscience, prescience, conscience | |
| -scope | noun | from Greek skopos, view; instrument for viewing and observing spaces | microscope, kaleidoscope, periscope | |
| -script | noun | written | manuscript, transcript | |
| -ship | noun | abstract noun, state of being | friendship, relationship, dictatorship | Neutral |
| -shire | noun | region, county | Oxfordshire, Hamshire, | Neutral |
| -sion | noun | noun that has been altered from a process | decision, illusion | Stress on previous syllable |
| -some | adj | tiresome, awesome, fulsome | Stress on previous syllable | |
| -stan | noun | land, country | Afghanistan | |
| -ster | noun | person | youngster, gangster | Neutral |
| -t | adj | burnt, spoilt | Neutral | |
| -th, -eth | adj | ordinal number | tenth, millionth | |
| -th | noun | forming a noun | growth, health, depth | |
| -tion | noun | noun that has been altered from a process | evaporation, introduction | Stress on previous syllable |
| -tom, -tome | noun | part or segment | dermatome | |
| -ton | noun | town, city | Charleston, Stockton | |
| -tropism | noun | to turn | phototropism | |
| -ty | noun | certainty, loyalty | Neutral | |
| -uary | noun | sanctuary, mortuary | ||
| -ulent | adj | turbulent, fraudulent | ||
| -uous | adj | tempestuous, sensuous | Neutral | |
| -us | noun | inflammation | ulcus | |
| -ville | noun | city, town from French | Nashville | |
| -vore, -vorous | noun / adj | to devour | carnivore, herbivore | |
| -ward or -wards | adj, adv | direction | southward, inward, upward | Neutral |
| -ware | noun | software | hardware, software, freeware | |
| -ways | adj | sideways, longways | Neutral | |
| -wise | adj | direction | clockwise, lengthwise | Neutral |
| -wright | noun | person who makes | playwright, wheelwright, shipwright | |
| -y | adj | having the quality of, inclined to | runny, messy | Neutral |
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