A suffix is a very common occurrence in the English language, they are everywhere. I can guarantee you’ve come across many suffixes before although you might not have been aware of it!
Simply put, a suffix is a letter or group of letters that is placed after an existing word. The purpose is to change nouns into adjectives or verbs.
suffix example
We’ll take the word ‘happy’ (which is an adjective). If we add the suffix ‘ness’
happy + ness = happiness
The word has now changed to a noun
The meaning of the suffix ‘ness’ means state or quality.
As you can see, by learning the meaning of some common suffixes, it can greatly improve your understanding of new words. I’ve created a list of the most common and useful ones for you to get your head around.
suffixes list
Are you ready to learn some more suffixes in English? Now you know what a suffix is, are you ready to see a list of the most common ones? Go through the list below and learn their meaning. Try thinking of your own too.
Now you know about suffixes, how about learning what a prefix is. They are also an important part of the English language and are great to know to help you understand new vocabulary.
Not sure what a prefix is? I’ll give you a clue – it’s the opposite.