Suffix · forms adverbs and adjectives
Turns a direction word into a direction adverb/adjective: inward, outward, forward. Works with almost any direction word, it is productive.
Written by Bryan López, English teacher · Updated
-ward (and its variant -wards) attaches to a direction word to form an adverb or adjective meaning "toward that direction": in → inward out → outward up → upward down → downward back → backward for → forward home → homeward on → onward It also works with the compass directions: north → northward, south → southward, east → eastward, west → westward.
British English tends to prefer the -s form: towards, backwards, afterwards, inwards, outwards. American English tends to prefer the form without -s: toward, backward, afterward, inward, outward. Both are correct and understood everywhere, it is just a regional spelling difference, not a meaning difference.
"wayward" (rebellious, headstrong) and "awkward" (uncomfortable, clumsy) end in -ward, but have nothing to do with direction. Don't try to apply the pattern to these two, just learn them as their own words.
Direction word + ward/-wards. Produces direction adverbs or adjectives.
"awkward" has no clear base in modern English, just learn it directly as "uncomfortable/clumsy" without trying to make sense of "awk".
-ward / -wards/wərd/ · sounds like werd
Tap the button to hear how the ending sounds. Each word in the table has its own audio.
"an awkward silence" = an uncomfortable silence. "an awkward question" = a delicate question. "I feel awkward" = I feel uncomfortable, unsure what to do.
"a wayward teenager" = a teenager who is hard to control. "wayward behavior" = unpredictable, problematic behavior. It has nothing to do with being physically lost.
Same with backward/backwards, inward/inwards, forward/forwards. Use whichever variety of English you follow, and stay consistent.
A trick to remember it
Picture an arrow pointing: in-WARD points inward, out-WARD points outward, for-WARD points forward. The suffix IS the arrowhead, always marking a direction. For wayward/awkward, the arrow does not apply: they are the two exceptions that break the pattern.
Exercise 1 · Form the word
Exercise 2 · Pick the right one
What does "an awkward silence" mean?
Exercise 3 · Pick the right one
"Onward" implies...
Exercise 4 · Form the word
The suffix -ward / -wards turns a direction word into a direction adverb/adjective: inward, outward, forward. Works with almost any direction word, it is productive. In Spanish it usually maps to hacia.
The ending -ward / -wards is pronounced /wərd/ · sounds like werd. For example, "inward".
"in" becomes "inward". It is a typical example of the -ward / -wards suffix.
From Old English "-nian": turns adjectives into causative verbs meaning to make more X or to become X. Darken, enlighten, deepen, strengthen, heighten.
From Old English "-feald" (layer, fold): forms multipliers. Tenfold = ten times; manifold = multiple; twofold = double. Very common in journalism and formal prose.
From Old English "-ling": forms diminutives of young creatures, small beings or subordinate persons. Duckling, fledgling, sibling, underling, changeling.
-tion, -ness, -ful, -ly, -able... every ending you need to understand thousands of words at once.