Suffixes: tiny word endings that flip a word’s entire job. Slap -er onto “teach” and you’ve got a person. Add -ness to “dark” and it becomes a thing you can feel. This list rounds up around 132 English suffixes — the ones you’ll actually meet in daily life, not the obscure stuff from a dusty grammar book.
We’ve kept it simple. Each suffix comes with a plain-English meaning, a realistic example sentence, and easy-to-read US IPA so you pronounce everything clearly. There’s a play button right in the table — tap it to hear the word out loud, because your ears need training just as much as your eyes.
Once you know a handful of suffixes, you can guess hundreds of new words without reaching for a dictionary. Work through the interactive table at your own pace, then grab the free PDF download just below the list for offline practice.
Lists are great, but real conversations flow in whole chunks. Our free bite-sized lessons teach you natural phrases with audio — start with the intro and jump into Lesson 1 when you’re ready to chat.
English Suffix Quiz
Quiz time! See how many suffixes you already recognize — it’s a quick warm-up before you dive into the full list.
English Suffix List with Meanings
| Root | IPA | Meaning | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| -dom | /dəm/ | condition of, state, realm | freedom, kingdom, wisdom, boredom, stardom |
| -dox | /dɑks/ | belief, praise | orthodox, paradox, heterodox, doxology, unorthodox |
| -ectomy | /ˈɛktəmi/ | surgical removal of | appendectomy, tonsillectomy, hysterectomy, mastectomy, vasectomy |
| -ed | /d/ | past tense | walked, played, wanted, needed, stopped |
| -ee | /iː/ | receiver, performer | employee, interviewee, payee, trainee, nominee |
| -eer | /ɪr/ | associated with/engaged in | engineer, volunteer, pioneer, mountaineer, profiteer |
| -emia | /ˈimiə/ | blood condition | anemia, leukemia, hypoglycemia, hyperglycemia, septicemia |
| -en | /ən/ | makes the word a verb | harden, soften, widen, lengthen, strengthen |
| -ence | /əns/ | state or condition, action | difference, independence, dependence, existence, occurrence |
| -ency | /ənsi/ | condition or quality | efficiency, frequency, urgency, currency, consistency |
| -ent | /ənt/ | inclined to performing/causing, or one who performs/causes | different, present, excellent, independent, confident |
| -er | /ər/ | more; action or process; a person who does an action | teacher, worker, player, faster, harder, bigger, taller, speaker, driver, smaller |
| -ern | /ərn/ | state or quality of | eastern, western, northern, southern, midwestern, northeastern, northwestern |
| -escence | /ˈɛsəns/ | state or process | adolescence, obsolescence, fluorescence, effervescence, coalescence |
| -ese | /iːz/ | relating to a place | Japanese, Chinese, Portuguese, Vietnamese, Burmese |
| -esque | /ɛsk/ | in the style of | picturesque, grotesque, statuesque, Romanesque, burlesque |
| -ess | /ɪs/ | female | princess, actress, waitress, hostess, lioness |
| -est | /ɪst/ | most | biggest, smallest, tallest, fastest, smartest |
| -etic | /ɛtɪk/ | relating to (makes the word an adj.) | poetic, aesthetic, energetic, athletic, sympathetic |
| -ette | /ɛt/ | diminutive (makes something smaller) | cigarette, kitchenette, cassette, rosette, statuette |
| -ful | /fəl/ | full of | helpful, beautiful, wonderful, grateful, playful |
| -fy | /faɪ/ | make, cause (makes the word a verb) | simplify, beautify, classify, justify, modify |
| -gam | /ɡæm/ | marriage, union | polygam, monogam, endogam, exogam, heterogam |
| -gamy | /ɡəmi/ | marriage, union | monogamy, polygamy, bigamy, exogamy, endogamy |
| -gon | /ɡɑn/ | angle | polygon, hexagon, pentagon, octagon, decagon |
