Spelling Words Well : List of Suffixes, Meanings and Examples page 1
List of Suffixes
Here is a list of common suffixes, their meanings and lists of words using those
suffixes. We’ve included words of varying difficulty so that you can choose the ones
most appropriate for your students.
-age: several meanings
-able, -ible: able to be -acy: state or quality including process, the
outcome of & relationship
comfortable privacy coverage
tolerable accuracy breakage
agreeable democracy wreckage
capable candidacy leakage
reasonable bureaucracy usage
terrible delicacy postage
collectible fallacy percentage
possible legacy stoppage
flexible literacy mileage
responsible piracy marriage
-al, -ial: pertaining to, -ance, -ence:
-ant, -ent, er, or: one who
having the character of state or quality of
natural acceptance accountant
actual clearance contestant
original abundance participant
accidental importance correspondent
political performance dependent
official difference driver
essential reference teacher
financial occurrence worker
partial dependence doctor
presidential existence creator
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Spelling Words Well : List of Suffixes, Meanings and Examples page 2
-en: forms verbs from
-ary: pertaining to,
nouns or adjectives or -ful: full of
connected with
adj. from nouns
elementary lengthen joyful
honorary strengthen fearful
dietary shorten thankful
momentary moisten hopeful
imaginary sharpen forgetful
budgetary darken helpful
summary wooden playful
dignitary woolen useful
intermediary golden watchful
emissary mistaken spoonful
-ic, -ac, -il, -ile:of, like,
-fy: to make -ish: like, pertaining to
pertaining to
magnify comic English
petrify historic Spanish
qualify elastic British
justify poetic selfish
amplify cardiac foolish
certify maniac boorish
horrify civil childish
classify fragile bookish
unify agile reddish
signify docile cultish
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Spelling Words Well : List of Suffixes, Meanings and Examples page 3
-ist: one who makes or
-ity: state or condition -ive having the nature of
does
artist activity active
dentist ability creative
realist possibility effective
motorist generosity conclusive
chemist formality instructive
scientist hospitality executive
jurist curiosity legislative
extremist civility consecutive
ophthalmologist locality secretive
accompanist hostility aggressive
-logy study of, science
-ize: to cause to become -less without
of
capitalize careless geology
alphabetize hopeless biology
magnetize helpless technology
apologize endless ecology
summarize fearless sociology
generalize worthless psychology
visualize sleepless terminology
vitalize powerless archaeology
dramatize nameless theology
energize useless mythology
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Spelling Words Well : List of Suffixes, Meanings and Examples page 4
-ness: state or condition
-ly: characteristic of -ment: condition of
of
sadly agreement darkness
gladly enjoyment eagerness
gradually argument fairness
timely retirement sadness
cowardly resentment happiness
bravely replacement emptiness
justly amazement illness
secondly assignment goodness
rarely refinement likeness
hourly embarrassment heaviness
-tion, -sion, -ion: state,
-ous: having the qualities -y: full of, somewhat, or
condition, action, process
of somewhat like
or result
dangerous revolution cloudy
humorous commendation chilly
furious concession dusty
nutritious transition oily
spacious relation touchy
victorious starvation faulty
thunderous description noisy
nervous explanation cranky
gracious temptation fiery
courageous imagination glossy
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