A single ending can change everything: care becomes careful and careless. Master suffixes and you will understand thousands of words without memorising them one by one. 172 suffixes explained step by step.
They name things, ideas or actions (the action, the happiness).
Names a collective action, process or result: dam becomes damage.
From Latin "-aticum" via Old French: forms nouns of action, result, condition, or collective. Courage, voyage, heritage, lineage, visage, homage, vintage, language, bondage, foliage.
Turns a verb or adjective into the noun naming that state or quality: import becomes importance.
From Germanic "-hard" (persistently excessive): forms pejorative nouns for a person who takes a negative trait to excess. Drunkard, braggart, dullard, dotard, laggard.
Biochemical suffix naming enzymes: lipase = the enzyme that breaks down fats.
From Latin "caedere" (to kill): names either the act of killing or the agent that kills. Homicide, pesticide.
Forms compounds naming a specialized skill, art, or type of vehicle: aircraft, spacecraft, witchcraft, stagecraft, statecraft, wordcraft.
From Greek "kytos" (hollow vessel, cell): names specific types of cells. Erythrocyte, leukocyte, lymphocyte.
Names a state, condition or domain: free becomes freedom.
From Greek "ektome" (excision): names surgeries that remove an organ or tissue. Appendectomy, mastectomy.
From French "-ier": forms nouns for a person who works with something or carries out an activity. Pioneer, privateer, profiteer, buccaneer, engineer.
From Greek "haima" (blood): indicates a blood condition or the presence of a substance in the blood. Anemia, leukemia, hyperglycemia.
Turns a verb into the noun that names who or what does that action: teach becomes teacher.
From Old French "-erie": forms nouns of activity, place, collective quality or state. Chivalry, trickery, wizardry, bravery, mockery.
Forms compounds naming types of descent, precipitation, or figurative collapse: downfall, nightfall, rainfall, windfall, pitfall, waterfall, shortfall.
From Greek "genein" (to produce, to originate): names what produces something or the origin of a process. Oxygen, pathogen.
Names recording techniques or disciplines: photo + graphy = photography.
Names a stage of life, a state or a community: child becomes childhood.
Names a doctrine, system, movement or practice: capital becomes capitalism.
Names a person who practises, believes in, or specialises in something: art becomes artist.
Indicates inflammation of an organ or body part: arthr + itis = arthritis.
From Latin "-itudo": forms abstract nouns of state or quality. Solitude, gratitude, magnitude, fortitude.
Turns an adjective into the noun that names that abstract quality: active becomes activity.
Names the person who guards, tends, or manages something: gatekeeper, beekeeper, peacekeeper, timekeeper, shopkeeper, lighthouse keeper.
From Middle Dutch "-kijn" (little): forms diminutives, often archaic or literary. Lambkin, catkin, napkin, bodkin, bumpkin, manikin, firkin, gherkin, pumpkin.
Forms compounds naming territories with a defined identity: homeland, wasteland, heartland, highland, lowland, farmland, woodland.
From French "-elet": forms diminutives of small or secondary things. Droplet, rivulet, hamlet, islet, booklet, leaflet, inlet, outlet.
From Old English "-ling": forms diminutives of young creatures, small beings or subordinate persons. Duckling, fledgling, sibling, underling, changeling.
From Greek "lysis" (loosening, dissolving): indicates decomposition, separation or dissolution. Analysis, dialysis.
Names the person who makes or creates a specific thing: peacemaker, troublemaker, filmmaker, matchmaker, policymaker, dealmaker.
From Greek "mania" (madness, obsession): names a compulsive obsession or extreme passion. Kleptomania.
Forms compounds naming marks, signs, or reference points: hallmark, benchmark, landmark, trademark, earmark, watermark.
Names one who masters or directs something with authority: grandmaster, taskmaster, ringmaster, schoolmaster, headmaster, webmaster.
Turns a verb into the noun that names the action, process or its result: develop becomes development.
From Greek "metron" (to measure): names measuring instruments or metric units. Thermometer, kilometer.
Names the science or system for measuring something: geometry (measuring shapes and space) and symmetry.
From Old English "mangere" (dealer, trader): forms nouns for traders and — more powerfully — spreaders of harmful things. Warmonger, scaremonger, fishmonger, ironmonger.
Turns an adjective into the noun that names that quality or state: happy becomes happiness.
Names a system of rules or the study of how something is organized: astronomy (the study of celestial bodies) and autonomy (self-governance).
Names a science or field of study: bio + ology = biology.
From Greek "-osis" (process, condition): indicates a disease, pathological state or biological process. Fibrosis, psychosis, metamorphosis.
From Greek "pathos" (feeling, suffering): indicates a deep emotion or a disease. Empathy, neuropathy.
Names an intense irrational fear: claustro + phobia = claustrophobia.
From Greek "plastos" (moulded): names reconstructive or cosmetic surgeries. Rhinoplasty, angioplasty.
From Dutch "landschap" (landscape): forms nouns for panoramic views or entire realms. Landscape, seascape, moonscape, cityscape, dreamscape, soundscape, mindscape, cloudscape.
From Greek "skopein" (to look): names instruments for viewing or examining. Microscope, telescope.
Names a relationship, skill or condition: friend becomes friendship.
Variant of -tion that turns verbs into nouns: decide becomes decision.
Names a craftsperson skilled in working a specific material or medium: blacksmith, goldsmith, silversmith, wordsmith, locksmith, gunsmith.
From Greek "soma" (body): names cellular structures or bodies. Chromosome, ribosome.
From Old English "-estre": forms person nouns associated with an activity or group. Trickster, gangster, prankster, youngster, spinster, mobster, hipster.
Forms compounds naming types of stone, places, or concepts involving permanence and foundation: milestone, cornerstone, tombstone, keystone, limestone.
Turns adjectives into nouns naming a dimension or abstract quality: wide becomes width.
From Greek "therapeia" (healing, treatment): names medical or therapeutic methods. Chemotherapy, physiotherapy.
Turns verbs into nouns that name an action or its result: educate becomes education.
From Greek "tome" (cutting): names surgical incisions without removing the organ. Anatomy, tracheotomy.
From Greek "trophe" (nourishment, growth): indicates the nutritional or developmental state of a tissue. Atrophy, hypertrophy, dystrophy.
Turns a verb into a noun naming the result or process: fail becomes failure.
Forms compound nouns naming a type of organized activity, a structure, or a crafted material: teamwork, framework, network, groundwork, handiwork, patchwork.
From Old English "wryhta" (worker, maker): forms nouns for skilled craftsmen and makers. Playwright, wheelwright, shipwright, wainwright, millwright.
The most common affectionate diminutive in English: turns names into tender, childlike, or warm forms. Dog = doggy; sweet = sweetie; dad = daddy; gran = granny.
They describe what something is like (useful, readable, dangerous).
Turns a verb into an adjective meaning "can be done": wash becomes washable.
From Latin "-ax/-acis": means "full of" or "having the quality of" to a high degree. Tenacious, audacious, malicious, delicious.
Turns a noun into an adjective meaning "related to" or "belonging to": nation becomes national.
Forms adjectives meaning "related to" and nouns naming places or collections: dictionary, laboratory.
Combines with a temperature word to describe someone's temperament: cold-blooded (unemotional, calculating) and hot-blooded (passionate, impulsive).
From Old English "boren" (born): forms adjectives of birth condition, origin or destiny. Firstborn, highborn, stillborn, freeborn, newborn.
Combines with the word for the carrying medium: air + borne = airborne; water + borne = waterborne.
From the past participle of "bind": forms adjectives meaning "confined by," "heading toward," or "obligated by." Spellbound, earthbound, homebound, hidebound, snowbound, inbound.
Combines with a word, often a small animal, to poke fun at someone's mental sharpness: bird-brained (empty-headed) and scatter-brained (disorganised).
Describes how a person, animal, or talent was raised: well-bred (well-mannered) versus ill-bred (badly raised).
Judges how good a selection was: well-chosen (exactly right) versus poorly-chosen (a bad pick).
Means "dressed in" or "covered with": ivy-clad (covered in ivy) and ironclad (armor-plated; also "foolproof").
Describes how good someone's network of contacts is: well-connected (has influential contacts) versus poorly-connected (few useful contacts).
Describes how something turned out after being cut or shaped: clean-cut (neat, tidy-looking) and well-cut (well-tailored).
Judges how clear the boundaries or meaning of something are: well-defined (clear) versus ill-defined (vague, unclear).
Means "pulled by" or describes how something was created: horse-drawn (pulled by horses) and hand-drawn (drawn by hand).
Judges how appropriately someone is dressed for the occasion: well-dressed versus overdressed (too formal for the setting).
Uses the past participle as an adjective to describe how a person feels: I am bored, she is excited.
Describes the kind of edge something has, literal or figurative: double-edged (cuts both ways) and sharp-edged (sharp, cutting).
From Old English "-en": turns material nouns into adjectives meaning made of or having the qualities of that material. Golden, silken, brazen, ashen, leaden, wooden.
Forms adjectives describing a quality and nouns naming people with that quality: different, student, assistant.
Forms the comparative of short adjectives: big becomes bigger.
Indicates geographic direction or relative position: north becomes northern.
From Italian "-esco": means "in the style of" or "reminiscent of". Kafkaesque, picturesque, grotesque.
Forms the superlative of short adjectives: tall becomes the tallest.
Describes what someone's eyes are like, or how they see the world: wide-eyed (eyes wide open, naive) and eagle-eyed (sharp-sighted, observant).
Describes someone's attitude or expression, literal or moral: two-faced (fake, hypocritical) and straight-faced (keeping a serious expression).
Describes how someone uses force or money: iron-fisted (ruling with an iron fist, authoritarian) and tight-fisted (stingy with money).
From Old English "-feald" (layer, fold): forms multipliers. Tenfold = ten times; manifold = multiple; twofold = double. Very common in journalism and formal prose.
Describes how someone moves or how steady they are: sure-footed (steady, doesn't stumble) and flat-footed (caught off guard; also flat feet).
Judges how solid the basis of a claim or fear is: well-founded (justified, based on good evidence) versus ill-founded (baseless).
Means "without" or "free of": carefree (without worries) and sugar-free (containing no sugar).
Turns a noun into an adjective meaning "full of" or "having": care becomes careful.
Describes a direction, an ongoing activity, or a habit: easygoing (relaxed, easy to get along with) and outgoing (sociable, extroverted).
Describes how sensible or well-supported a person, idea, or theory is: well-grounded (sensible, level-headed) versus poorly-grounded (weakly supported).
Describes how or where something grew: full-grown (fully grown, adult) and home-grown (grown at home, local).
Describes how someone acts or uses their hands: heavy-handed (harsh, lacking tact) and even-handed (fair, impartial).
having a specified type of mental clarity, character, or state of mind
Describes someone's emotional character: warmhearted (kind, affectionate) and coldhearted (unfeeling, unkind).
Used for the type of shoe heel or, figuratively, for financial standing: high-heeled (with a high heel) and well-heeled (wealthy).
Describes something cut or carved, often with a rough finish: rough-hewn (roughly cut, unpolished) and hand-hewn (carved by hand).
Turns proper nouns into style or period adjectives: Orwellian = relating to Orwell's ideas of surveillance and totalitarianism.
Turns a noun into an adjective meaning "of", "relating to" or "characteristic of": economy becomes economic.
Uses the gerund as an adjective to describe what causes a feeling: boring, exciting, interesting.
Judges whether someone's intentions were good or bad: well-intentioned versus ill-intentioned (acting with bad motives).
Adds the nuance of "somewhat", "a bit" or "resembling": red becomes reddish.
Turns a verb or noun into an adjective showing tendency or capacity: create becomes creative.
Judges how well something is maintained: well-kept (neat, well-maintained) versus poorly-kept (neglected).
Describes how united a group or community is: close-knit (tightly bonded) versus loosely-knit (not very cohesive).
Means "loaded with": snow-laden (loaded with snow) and guilt-laden (weighed down by guilt).
Describes the number or type of legs: four-legged (having four legs) and long-legged (having long legs).
Turns a noun into an adjective meaning "without": care becomes careless.
From Old Norse "líkr" (similar): forms adjectives meaning "resembling X" or "characteristic of X." Godlike, dreamlike, lifelike, warlike, childlike, ghostlike, wavelike, businesslike.
Describes someone's lips or, figuratively, how much they talk: tight-lipped (saying little) and loose-lipped (talking too freely).
Describes what light something is lit by: candle-lit (lit by candlelight) and well-lit (with good lighting).
Describes how long something lasts: short-lived (lasting only a short time) versus long-lived (lasting a long time).
Means "lasting the entire ___": lifelong (lasting a lifetime) and daylong (lasting all day).
Describes someone's manners or conduct: well-mannered (polite) versus ill-mannered (rude).
Describes someone's way of thinking: open-minded (accepting of new ideas) versus narrow-minded (closed off, intolerant).
From Old English "-mast": forms superlatives of absolute position or degree. Utmost, foremost, innermost, uttermost, topmost, northernmost.
Describes someone's underlying character: good-natured (kind, easygoing) versus ill-natured (bad-tempered).
Describes the shape of a nose or, figuratively, someone's attitude: hard-nosed (tough, practical) and snub-nosed (having a short, upturned nose).
From Greek "eidos" (form): means "shaped like" or "resembling". Android = resembling a human.
From Latin "-orius/-orium": forms adjectives meaning "relating to" or "serving for," and nouns for places/instruments. Mandatory, laudatory, contradictory, purgatory, oratory, dormitory, promontory.
Turns a noun into an adjective meaning "full of" or "having that quality": danger becomes dangerous.
Describes how fast something moves or unfolds: fast-paced versus slow-paced.
Judges how well something is positioned: well-placed (in the right spot) versus ill-placed (poorly positioned).
Forms adjectives meaning "resistant to" or "that cannot be penetrated or damaged by": bulletproof, waterproof, foolproof, soundproof, fireproof, childproof.
Describes how much someone has read: well-read (widely and deeply read) versus poorly-read (having read little).
Judges how solid an argument's logic is: well-reasoned (logically sound) versus poorly-reasoned (weak logic).
Forms adjectives describing something persistently dominated or plagued by something negative: guilt-ridden, debt-ridden, crime-ridden, anxiety-ridden, corruption-ridden.
Describes how deeply embedded something is: deep-rooted (firmly established) versus shallow-rooted (not well established).
Describes the position or depth of something: deep-set (sunk deeply) and well-set (firmly positioned).
Describes the shape of something, literal or figurative: heart-shaped and pear-shaped.
Describes eyesight or the ability to anticipate the future: farsighted (able to see the bigger picture; also long-sighted) versus shortsighted (lacking foresight; also nearsighted).
Describes skin tone or, figuratively, how sensitive someone is to criticism: thick-skinned (not easily offended) versus thin-skinned (easily offended).
From Old English "-sum": forms adjectives meaning producing that effect or characterised by that quality. Gruesome, winsome, loathsome, wholesome, awesome.
Describes someone's energy or attitude: high-spirited (lively, energetic) and free-spirited (unconventional, independent).
Describes someone's tone or style of speaking: soft-spoken (speaking gently) and outspoken (speaking one's mind bluntly).
Forms adjectives describing someone or something severely affected by an emotion, condition, or calamity: poverty-stricken, grief-stricken, panic-stricken, awe-stricken, drought-stricken.
Forms adjectives describing someone suddenly and intensely affected: awestruck, thunderstruck, starstruck, dumbstruck, moonstruck, horror-struck.
Describes how tense someone's nerves are: high-strung (nervous, easily upset) versus loosely-strung (relaxed).
Describes someone's emotional character: even-tempered (calm, steady) versus hot-tempered (quick to anger).
Judges whether the moment chosen for something was right: well-timed versus ill-timed (badly timed).
Describes how someone talks: silver-tongued (persuasive, eloquent) and sharp-tongued (cutting, harsh in speech).
Describes something torn apart by conflict: war-torn (devastated by war) and strife-torn (torn apart by internal conflict).
Judges how well-crafted a phrase or sentence is: well-turned (elegantly phrased) versus ill-turned (clumsily phrased).
From Latin "-ulentus/-uosus": means "full of" or "abounding in". Turbulent, virulent, succulent, sensuous, meticulous.
Describes how much someone knows about a subject: well-versed (highly knowledgeable) versus poorly-versed (having little knowledge).
Describes how strong someone's willpower is: strong-willed (determined) versus weak-willed (easily swayed).
Describes the type or size of wings: broad-winged (having broad wings) and swift-winged (fast in flight).
Describes how quickly someone thinks: quick-witted (sharp, fast-thinking) versus dim-witted (slow, not very sharp).
Describes something worn down by time or use: timeworn (worn by time) and careworn (worn out by worry).
Means "worked" or "crafted", literal or emotional: hand-wrought (crafted by hand) and overwrought (overly excited, on edge).
Turns a noun into an adjective meaning "full of" or "having": rain becomes rainy.
They say how something is done (quickly, carefully).
Turns an adjective into an adverb that describes how something is done: slow becomes slowly.
From Old English "-weard" (direction): forms adverbs and adjectives of direction or tendency. Inward, outward, forward, wayward, awkward.
Combines with some, no, every, any, and else to create indefinite place adverbs: somewhere, nowhere, everywhere, anywhere, elsewhere.
From Old English "wise" (manner, way): converts nouns and adjectives into adverbs of manner. Otherwise, likewise, clockwise, contrariwise, streetwise.
They turn words into actions (modernize, simplify).
Turns a root into an action verb: activ + ate = activate; celebrat + ate = celebrate.
Turns an adjective into a verb meaning "to make X" or "to become X": dark becomes darken.
From Old English "-nian": turns adjectives into causative verbs meaning to make more X or to become X. Darken, enlighten, deepen, strengthen, heighten.
From Latin "-ficare" (to make): turns nouns or adjectives into verbs meaning to make X or to become X. Magnify, rectify, petrify, glorify, vilify, mortify.
Turns a noun or adjective into a verb meaning "to make" or "to convert into": simple becomes simplify.
Turns a noun or adjective into a verb meaning "to make" or "to convert into": modern becomes modernize.
Endings with particular uses.
Added to question words (what, who, where, when, how, which) to create free relatives meaning "no matter what/who/where/when/how/which."
Forms compounds naming types of fire or gunfire: gunfire, crossfire, campfire, hellfire, wildfire, ceasefire, backfire.
Forms reflexive and emphatic pronouns: my + self = myself.
Forms compounds naming a place next to or at the edge of something: bedside, fireside, lakeside, hillside, ringside, alongside.
Forms compounds naming periods, moments, or eras with a distinct identity: lifetime, peacetime, wartime, pastime, overtime, daytime, nighttime, bedtime.
Forms adjectives and adverbs meaning "extending throughout, covering the whole of": nationwide, worldwide, citywide, statewide, industry-wide.