Suffix · forms nouns
Turns an adjective into the noun that names that quality or state: happy becomes happiness.
Written by Bryan López, English teacher · Updated
The suffix -ness takes an ADJECTIVE and turns it into an abstract noun: the name of that quality or state. From "happy" you get "happiness"; from "dark" you get "darkness"; from "kind" you get "kindness". The meaning is always the same: "the state of being ___". happiness = the state of being happy. If you know the adjective, you know the noun.
-ness is one of the most REGULAR suffixes in English: in the vast majority of cases you simply add -ness to the adjective with no other change. sad → sadness weak → weakness ill → illness There is only one extra rule to remember, the -y change, covered below. Apart from that, -ness is a plug-and-play suffix.
Do not mix up -ness with -tion. -tion comes from VERBS (educate → education). -ness comes from ADJECTIVES (happy → happiness). If the base word describes what something is like (happy, dark, kind, weak), the abstract noun is almost always built with -ness. It is your default suffix for turning an adjective into "the quality of being that".
The basic rule is just one: adjective + ness. The only frequent exception is a final -y.
When the adjective ends in -y, that -y becomes -i before -ness: happy → happi + ness → happiness. It is the same change you already know from other rules (happy → happier).
-ness/nəs/ · soft, unstressed 'nuss'
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When the adjective ends in -y, that -y becomes -i before -ness: happy → happiness.
-ness attaches to ADJECTIVES, not verbs. A verb usually forms its noun with -tion or -ment instead.
-ness is never stressed. The strong syllable stays where it was in the original adjective.
A trick to remember it
Think of -ness as "the state of being ___". happiness = the state of being happy. darkness = the state of being dark. And remember the one trap: if the adjective ends in -y, that -y turns into -i (happy → happiness).
Exercise 1 · Form the word
Exercise 2 · Pick the right one
Which spelling is correct?
Exercise 3 · Pick the right one
What kind of word does -ness normally attach to?
The suffix -ness turns an adjective into the noun that names that quality or state: happy becomes happiness. In Spanish it usually maps to -dad / -eza.
The ending -ness is pronounced /nəs/ · soft, unstressed 'nuss'. For example, "happiness".
"happy" becomes "happiness". It is a typical example of the -ness suffix.
-tion, -ness, -ful, -ly, -able... every ending you need to understand thousands of words at once.