COMMON ENGLISH SUFFIXES

I. NOUNS:

Suffix Meaning Derived from... Example

-AGE action, state, V -> N break - breakage

process post - postage
carry - carriage
marry - marriage
pass - passage
pack - package
bag - baggage

-AL condition, V -> N refuse - refusal

quality deny - denial
approve - approval
propose - proposal
dismiss - dismissal
arrive - arrival

-ANCE action, state, V/A -> N occur - occurrence

-ANCY condition or attend - attendance
-ENCE quality -ant -> -ance/-ancy prefer - preference
-ENCY -ent -> -ence/-ency appear - appearance
perform - performance
insure - insurance
dependent - dependence
tolerant - tolerance
excellent - excellence
brilliant - brillance

-ANT person / V -> N attend - attendant

-ENT instrument / assist - assistant
agent defend - defendant
inform - informant
correspond - correspondent
preside - president
reside - residential
participate - participant
contest - contestant
consult - consultant
expect - expectant
vary - varian

-AR person who V/N - > N believe - believer

-ER does work - worker
-OR teach - teacher
call - caller
build - builder
visit - visitor
invent - inventor
beg - beggar
lie - liar
burgle - burglar
act - actor
drum - drumor
collect - collector

-ARIAN holders of a N -> N vegetable - vegetablerian

particular discipline - disciplinarian
doctrine human - humanitarian
authority - authoritarian
 liberty - libertarian
equality - egalitarian

-ATION action or V -> N act - action

-TION resulting define - definition
-ITION state (usually ending with -ATE, -IFY, - reserve - reservation
IZE) organize - organization
-IZE -> IZATION personify - personification
-IFY -> IFICATION recognize - recognition
identify - identification

-CIDE killing N -> N insect - insecticide

something pest - pesticide
human - homicide
generation - genocide
fungus - fungicide
self - suicide

-CY condition A->N adequate - adequacy

private - privacy
urgent - urgency
frequent - frequency
captain - captaincy
democrat - democracy
bureaucratic - bureaucracy
bankrupt - bankruptcy
delegate - delegacy
sufficient - sufficiency

-DOM state, N/V/A - > N fan - fandom

condition, king - kingdom
dignity, star - stardom
office bore - boredom
wise - wisdom
free - freedom

-EE person / V/N -> N interview - interviewee

instrument / train - trainee
recipient of -ER ≠ -EE appoint - appointee
action attend - attendee
trust - trustee
employ - employee
license - licensee
pay - payee
refuge - refugee
address - addressee

-ER machine V->N scan - scanner

-OR which does compute - computer
calculate - calculator
print - printer
project - projector

-ERY a business V/A/N -> N slave - slavery

or trade, a bake - bakery
behavior, a brew - brewery
condition brave - bravery
machine - machinery

-HOOD state, N/A ->N brother - brotherhood

collective widow - widowhood
likely - likelihood
neighbor - neighborhood
child - childhood
lively - livelihood
 false - falsehood

-ICS study, A/N -> N electron - electronics

subject machine - mechanics
physical - physics
phone - phonics
etho - ethics
economy - economics

-ING action, state, V -> N bless - blessing

process write - writing
feed - feeding
land - landing
end - ending
seat - seating
happen - happening

-ISM state, A/N -> N individual - individualism

practice, collective - collectivism
belief favorite - favoritism
human - humanism
capital - capitalism
social - socialism

-IST person who V/N -> N art - artist

practices saxophone - saxophonist
-ISM ->IST piano - pianist
tour - tourist
type - typist
behaviorism - behaviorist
Marxism - Marxist
Confucianism - Confucianist
nationalism - nationalist

-ITY state or A->N active - activity

condition productive - productivity
(usually ending with -AL,-ID, - stupid - stupidity
IVE,...) humid - humidity
lucid - lucidity
curious - curiosity
generous - generosity
real - reality
national - nationality

-MENT state, act, V -> N agree - agreement

condition arrange - arrangement
employ - employment
pay - payment
argue - argument
govern - government
punish - punishment

-NESS state, A->N happy - happiness

quality, sad - sadness
condition kind - kindness
careful - carefulness
bold - boldness
lucky - luckiness
loud - loudness

-OLOGY study, A/N -> N crime - criminology

subject demon - demonology
psycho - psychology
social - sociology
meteor - meteorology
 climate - climatology
toxic - toxicology

-SHIP state, N->N censor - censorship

condition, adult - adultship
skill, office, partner - partnership
associated scholar - scholarship
with workman - workmanship
apprentice - apprenticeship
relation - relationship
friend - friendship

-SION action or V -> N revise - revision

resulting (usually ending with -DE, -SE) provide - provision
state collide - collision
erode - erosion
evade - evasion

-TH condition V/A -> N warm - warmth

young - youth
grow - growth
deep - depth
wide - width
long - length
strong - strength
dead - death
born - borth

-TY condition A->N loyal - loyalty

royal - royalty
safe - safety
cruel - cruelty
certain - certainty
subtle - subtlety
real - realty
admiral - admiralty

-URE action or V -> N depart - departure

resulting fail - failure
state expose - exposure
close - closure
press - pressure
legislate - legislature
compose - composure

-Y condition A->N honest - honesty

difficult - difficulty
jealous - jealousy
modest - modesty

II. VERBS

Suffix Meaning Derived from... Example

-ATE cause to be N/A -> V dominant - dominate

toleration - tolerate
different - differentiate
duplication - duplicate
decoration - decorate
fabric - fabricate
toxic - intoxicate
fury - infuriate
active - activate
circle - circulate
 turbulence - turbulate

-EN cause to be A/N -> V black - blacken

bright - brighten
sick - sicken
rough - roughen
ripe - ripen
sharp - sharpen
heart - hearten
long - lengthen
strong - strengthen
sweet - sweeten
straight - straighten

-IFY cause to be A/N -> V beauty - beautify

( N usually ending with -ITY) code - codify
dignity - dignify
pure - purify
quantity - quantify
quality - qualify
note - notify
horror - horrify
simple - simplify
class - classify
person - personify

-IZE cause to be A/N -> V personal - personalize

-YZE ( A usually ending with -AL, -N, - industrial - industrialize
M,...) modern - modernize
random - randomize
economy - economize
harmony - harmonize
theory - theorize
organization - organize
analysis - analyze
catalyst - catalyze
paralysis - paralyze

III. ADJECTIVES

Suffix Meaning Derived from... Example

-ABLE capable or V->A love - lovable

-IBLE worthy of, drink - drinkable
tending to believe - believable
accept - acceptable
desire - desirable
recognize - recognizable
flex - flexible
access - accessible

-AL relating to, N -> A accident - accidental

-IAL having the education - educational
-IC quality of region - regional
-ICAL society - societal/social
person - personal
problem - problematic
system - systematic
romance - romantic
technology - technological
geology - geological
history - historical/historic
symbol - symbolic
prudence - prudential
 confidence - confidential

-AN relating to, N -> A Africa - African

-IAN having the America - American
-EAN quality of Europe - European

-ANT having the V/N ->A exist - existential

-ENT quality of, confidence - confident
performing or excellence - excellent
being brilliance - brilliant
depend - dependent
importance - important
significance - significant

-ATIVE relating to, V/N -> A inform - informative

-ITIVE having the affirm - affirmative
quality of conservation - conservative
argument - argumentative
discriminate - discriminative
imitate - imitative
talk - talkative
exclaim - exclamative
infinity - infinitive

-AR relating to, N -> A globe - globular

having the sun - solar
quality of moon - lunar
angle - angular
single - singular
muscle - muscular

-ARY relating to, V/N -> A discipline - disciplinary

having the evolve - evolvery
quality of revolution - revolutionary
aliment - alimentary
document - documentary
precaution - precautionary
supply- suppliary

-ESQUE having the N -> A picture - picturesque

quality of statue - statuesque
sculpture - sculpturesque

-ISH relating to, N -> A child - childish

having the woman - womanish
quality of, red - reddish
quite yellow - yellowish
snob - snobbish
self - selfish
fool - foolish

-IVE relating to, N/V -> A decide - decisive

having the construct - constructive
quality of imperation - imperative
relation - relative
defend - defensive
offense - offensive

-FUL full of, tending N -> A/N beauty - beautiful

or liable to color - colorful
awe - awful
care - careful
shame - shameful
delight - delightful
thought - thoughtful
 peace - peaceful
hand - handful
cup - cupful

-LESS without, N -> A shame - shameless

lacking, hope - hopeless
unable to act care - careless
color - colorless
thought - thoughtless
count - countless
home - homeless

-LIKE looking like, N -> A child - childlike

similar to home - homelike
horse - hose-like
business - businesslike
life - lifelike
husband - husbandlike
woman - woman - like
war - warlike
bird - birdlike

-LY relating to, V/N -> A lone - lonely

having the friend - friendly
quality of man - manly
woman - womanly
love - lovely
die - diely
cost - costly
old - elderly

-OUS full of, relating N -> A industry - industrious

-IOUS to victory - victorious
-OSE poison - poisonous
danger - dangerous
nerve - nervous
mystery - mysterious
joke - jokose
schist - schistose
verb - verbose

-PROOF protecting N -> A water - waterproof

against bullet - bulletproof
fire - fireproof
sound - soundproof
bomb - bombproof

-SOME tending to N -> A awe - awesome

burden - burdensome
hand - handsome
quarrel - quarrelsome
lone - lonesome
trouble - troublesome
adventure - adventuresome
meddle - meddlesome
tire - tiresome

group of N -> N three - threesome

four - foursome
two - twosome

-Y characterized N -> A milk - miky

by, tending to sugar - sugary
salt - salty
sun - sunny
 wind - windy
air - airy
ice - icy
juice - juicy
sleep - sleepy
chat - chay
dream - dreamy

IV. ADVERBS

Suffix Meaning Derived from... Example

-LY in a particular A -> Adv careful - carefully

way beautiful - beautifully
Notes: active - actively
high -> high/highly quick - quickly
deep -> deep/deeply attractive - attractively
wide -> wide/widely part - partly
hard -> hard/hardly whole - wholly
late -> late/lately total - totally
simple - simply
comfortable - comfortably
quiet - quietly

-WARD(S) towards a Adv/N -> Adv after - afterward

particular back - backward
direction or on - onward
place river - riverward
up - upward
sea - seaward
forth - forthward
earth - earthward

-WAYS towards a Adv/N -> Adv edge - edgeways

particular length - lengthways
direction or side - sideways
place width - widthways

-WISE towards a Adv/N -> Adv clock - clockwise

particular length - lengthwise
direction or side - sidewise
place slant - slantwise
contrary - contrary-wise

in a particular Prep/Adv -> Adv like - likewise

way any - anywise
some - somewise
 ENGLISH COMMON PREFIXES
Suffix Meaning Derived from... Example

A- still, N/V/A -> Adv board - aboard

in, to, at, or bed - abed
on something ground - aground
shore - ashore
sleep - asleep
live- alive
loud - aloud

in a particular N/V -> A sleep - asleep

condition live- alive

A- not, without NA-> A moral - amoral

AN- normal - abnormal
typical - atypical
hydrous - anhydrous
sex - asexual
esthetic - anesthetic
politics -apolitical
social - asocial

ANT- against ANTI- = COUNTER- fan - anti-fan

ANTI- virus - antivirus
ANTH- biotic - antibiotic
clockwise - anticlockwise
COUNTER- clockwise - counterclockwise
CONTRA- argument - counterargument
age - antage
acid - antacid
protagonist - anti-protagonist
disestablishmentarianism -
antidisestablishmentarianism
America - anti-America
nuclear - antinuclear
diction - contradiction
contrary
contrast
counteract
counterpart

ANTE- before incident - an - incident

date - antedate
war - antewar

AUDI- relating to audio - audience

AUDIO- hearing audio - audio-phone
AUR- audit
AURI audition

BE- cause to be N->V calm - be-calm

cloud - becloud
friend - befriend
siege - besiege
little - be-little
wild - be-wild

BI- two cycle - bicycle

DI- sector - by-sector
DU- sex - disex
 century - by-century
language -by- language
polar - bipolar
atom - by-atom
duel
duplicate
duet

BIO- relating to or physics - biophysics

using living sphere - biosphere
things graph - biograph
chemistry - biochemistry

BY- less important product - by-product

way - byway
trade - by- trade
play - by-play

CENT- one hundred century - centenarian

CENTI- grade - centigrade
meter - centimeter

CHRON- time chronic

CHRONO- chronicle
chronograph

CO- together, COL- before L co-worker

COM- altogether COR- before R cooperate
CON- CON- before N and some other connect
COR- consonants, except for: B, H, L, communicate
COL- M, P, R, W community
correlate
correspond
collocate

CO- less important co-pilot

codicil

DE- opposite, N,V -> V ice - de-ice

removed, fame - defame
reduced throne - dethrone
generate - degenerate
activate - deactivate
bone - debone
valu - devalue
compose - decompose

E- outside, E-, EX- ≠ IM-, IN- migrate - emigrate

EX- beyond port - export
EX- before consonants, except exterior
for C, F, P, Q, S, T emerge
evoke
external
extrovert

EM- cause to be A/N -> V rich - enrich

EN- sure - ensure
power - empower
poison - empoison
dear - endear
bitter - embitter
courage - encourage

EX- former president - ex-president

boyfriend - ex- boyfriend
 student - ex-girlfriend
member - ex-member

EXTRA- beyond, more extravagant

than terrest - extraterrestre
ordinary - extraordinary
galaxy - extra-galaxy
large - extra -large
judge - extrajudicial

FORE- former, before see - foresee

tell - foretell
cast - forecast
know - foreknow
word - foreword
shadow - foreshadow
father - forefather

HOMO- same, similar sex - homosex

graph - homograph
phone - homophone
center - home-center

HYDR- water electric - hydroelectric

HYDRO- hydraulic
hydroplane
therapy - hydrotherapy
dynamics - hydrodynamics
hydrant
hydrate

HYPER- too much, link - hyperlink

more than excited - hyper-excited
usual active - hyperactive
sensitive - hypersensitive
inflation - hyperinflation

IN- not, without IL- before L legal - illegal

IL- IR - before R literate - illiterate
IM- IM - before B logical - illogical
IR- IN- often before A, C, D, S or V modest - immodest
mature - immature
NOTE: moral - immoral
balance- imbalance
IN- is not always a negative patient - impatient
prefix. polite - impolite
permanent - impermanent
flammable - inflammable accessible - inaccessible
famous - infamous convenient - inconvenient
valuable - invaluable credible - incredible
definitive - indefinite
finite/ˈfaɪnaɪt/ - infinite/ˈɪnfənət/
valid - invalid
significant - insignificant
sufficient - insufficient
adequate - inadequate
separable - inseparable
active - inactive
explicable - inexplicable
religious - irreligious
regular - irregular
responsible - irresponsible
replaceable - irreplaceable

INTER- between net - internet

 state - interstate
dependent - interdependent
personal - interpersonal
class - interclass
government - intergovernmental

MAL- bad adjustment - maladjustment

administer - maladminister
form - malformed
treat - maltreat
nutrition - malnutrition
apply - malapply
educate -maleducate
function - malfunction

MEDI- in the middle median

MID- medieval
mediate
medium
night - mediright
day - midday
way - midway
week - midweek
wife - midwife
year - mid-year
land - midland

MEGA- a million, star - megastar

extremely big store -megastore
rich - mega- rich
ton - megaton
watt - megawatt

MICRO- extremely electrics - microelectronics

small organism - microorganism
scope - microscope
economics - microeconomics
circuit - microcircuit
phone - microphone

MILLI- very small, a gram - milligram

MILLE- thousandth, a meter - millimeter
thousand millenium
millepede

MINI- small minute

miniature
minimum
minify

MIS- wrong understand - misunderstand

judge - misjudge
lead - mislead
advise - misadvise
conduct - misconduct
count - miscount
behave - misbehave
take - mistake

MONO- one chrome - monochrome

cycle - monocycle
carp - monocarp
monopoly
tone - monotone
chord - monochord
MULTI- many, various media - multimedia
POLY- fold - multi-fold
colored - multicolored
lingual - multilingual
purpose - multipurpose
form - multiform
user - multi-user
atomic - polyatomic
polygon
technique - polytechnic
polynomial
clinic - polyclinic

NEO- new colonialism - neocolonialism

classical - neoclassical
neologist

NON- not, without existence - nonexistence

toxic - nontoxic
acceptance - nonacceptance
stop - nonstop
finite - nonfinite
fiction - nonfiction
essential - nonessential
flammable - non-flammable
human - nonhuman
profit - nonprofit
sense - nonsense
verbal - nonverbal

OUT- outside break - outbreak

burst - outburst
cry - outcry
going - outgoing
let - outlet
pour - outpour
come - outcome
spoken - outspoken
building - outbuilding
side - outside
door - outdoor
look - outlook
date - outdate

more, bigger, do - outdo

greater speak - out-speak
run - outrun
stand - outstand
live - outlive
value - outvalue
number - outnumber
weigh - outweigh
think - out think

OVER- too much size - oversize

weight - overweight
cook - overcook
dose - overdose
eat - overeat
careful - over-careful
protective - overprotective
confident - overconfident

extra plus - overplus

work - overwork
 time - overtime

PED- foot pedal

centipede - centipede
pedestrian
millepede - pedmillepede
impede - pedimpede

POST- after war - postwar

graduate - postgraduate
script - postscript
human - posthumous

PRO- supporting LGBT - pro- LGBT

democracy - pro-democracy
western - pro-western
American - pro- American

forward proceed
claim - proclaim
project
long - pro-long
proffer
progress
promote

PSEUDO- false or not name - pseudonym

real science - pseudoscience
pregnant - desudopregnat
graph- desud- graph

RE- again N/V/A -> V speak - respeak

appear - reappear
arrange - prearrange
form - reform
new - renew
start - restart

back to verse - reverse

do - redo
unite - reunite
regression
reflect
load - reload
restore

SELF- of, to, with, or portrait - self-portrait

for yourself or confident - self-confident
itself adjustment - self- adjustment
assumed - self-assumed
centered - self-centered
control - self-control
deception - self-deception
esteem - self-esteemed

SUB- under, below SUC- before C way - subway

SUC- SUF- before F marine - submarine
SUF- SUG- before G soil - subsoil
SUG- SUM- before M conscious - subconscious
SUM- SUP- before P sustain
SUP- SUR- before R suspend
SUR- SUS- before S suspect
SUS-
less important title - subtitle
than assistant - subassistant
 suffragan
succentor - sub- succentor

a part of a section - subsection

whole committee - subcommittee
part - subpart
heading - subheading

SUPER- more than man - superman

power - superpower
hero - superhero
rich - superrich
civilized - super-civilized
market - supermarket
sound - supersound

SYM- together with SYM- before B, M, P synthesize

SYN- sympathy
synchronize
synonym

TELE- far away phone - telephone

graph - telegraph
communication - telecommunication
scope - telescope
vision - television

TRANS- changed gender - transgender

form - transform
translate

from one side act - transact

to another transfer
transmigrate
transportation

through transparent
transfix
atlantic - transatlantic
continent - transcontinent

TRI- three angle - triangle

chord - trichord
cycle - tri-cycle
form - triform
syllable - trisyllable

ULTRA- extremely modern - ultramodern

light - ultralight
rapid - ultrarapid
sonic - ultrasonic
sound - ultrasound

UN- not, without important - unimportant

fair - unfair
happy - unhappy
forgettable - unforgettable
believable - unbelievable
employed - unemployed
attractive - unattractive
fortunate - unfortunate
stoppable - unstoppable
grateful - ungrateful

UNDER- beneath, ground - underground

 under line - underline
wear - underwear
clothes - underclothes
pass - underpass

less than develop - underdeveloped

estimate - underestimate
cook - undercooked
pay - underpaid
age - underage

UNI- one directional - unidirectional

sex - unisex
form - uniform
lateral - unilateral
unite
union