What is the suffix of a word document

Table of Contents

  1. What is the rule for word roots suffixes and prefixes?
  2. Does adding a prefix to a root word change the spelling?
  3. What are prefixes in grammar?
  4. How do you add a prefix and suffix in Excel?
  5. How do you add a suffix?
  6. How do you use prefix in Word?
  7. How do I prefix a letter in Excel?
  8. How do you add a suffix in Excel?
  9. How do you make a suffix in Excel?
  10. What is the formula prefix in Excel?
  11. What are predesigned formatted files called?
  12. How do you make the prefix minus in Excel?
  13. How do you add a prefix to 0 in Excel?
  14. How do you write 0001 in Excel?
  15. How do I convert numbers to text?
  16. How do I add a zero in front of a number in SQL?

File formats that are supported in Word

What is the rule for word roots suffixes and prefixes?

A word cannot end with a combining form (word root + vowel). A suffix is added at the end of the word. A combining vowel will be used if the suffix begins with a consonant. A combining vowel is generally not used if the suffix begins with a vowel (there are some exceptions to this rule).

Does adding a prefix to a root word change the spelling?

When adding a prefix to a word, the spelling of the base word never changes. For example, the prefix un- did not change the spelling of the word “happy.” And, the prefix re- would not change the spelling of the word “live” in “relive.”

What are prefixes in grammar?

A prefix is a group of letters (or an affix) that’s added to the beginning of a word. Prefixes modify the meaning of a word.

Extension Name of file format
.doc Word 97-2003 Document
.docm Word Macro-Enabled Document
.docx Word Document
.docx Strict Open XML Document

How do you add a prefix and suffix in Excel?

Of course, you can add the prefix or suffix to each cell one by one….Add prefix or suffix to all cells with formulas.

Enter formulas Results in cells
= Concatenate (“Food – “, A1) Food – Apple
=Concatenate (A1, ” – Fruit”) Apple – Fruit

How do you add a suffix?

Suffixes are added to the end of words to make new words. There are two types of suffixes: vowel and consonant. Vowel suffixes include endings such as -ed, -er,-es, -end, and -ing. Consonant suffixes include endings such as -s, -less, -ness, -ment, and -ly.

How do you use prefix in Word?

How to prefix a numbered list in Microsoft Word

  1. Enter the list items.
  2. Select the list.
  3. Click Numbering In the Paragraph group on the Home tab.
  4. Select the numbers.
  5. Right-click the selected numbers.
  6. In the resulting dialog, add “Flower ” to the Number Format control – enter it to the left of the existing number.
  7. Click OK.

How do I prefix a letter in Excel?

  1. Enter the function of = CONCATENATE(“X”,A1) in one cell other than A say D.
  2. Click the Cell D1, and drag the fill handle across the range that you want to fill. All the cells should have been added the specific prefix text.

How do you add a suffix in Excel?

To do this, place the cursor in Column C and type =Concatenate(B4,” PHD.”) and hit the enter key on the keyboard of your computer. After adding the Suffix in the first cell, you can quickly add the Suffix to all the remaining cells by dragging the formula to all the remaining cells.

How do you make a suffix in Excel?

Keyboard shortcuts for superscript and subscript in Excel

  1. Select one or more characters you want to format.
  2. Press Ctrl + 1 to open the Format Cells dialog box.
  3. Then press either Alt + E to select the Superscript option or Alt + B to select Subscript.
  4. Hit the Enter key to apply the formatting and close the dialog.

What is the formula prefix in Excel?

To signal to the spreadsheet that you’re entering an equation that needs processing, you need a prefix before the formula. The most common prefix is an equal sign (=). So if you enter “= 2 + 2,” the worksheet processes the formula and displays the result “4” in the cell.

What are predesigned formatted files called?

Excel Unit A

Question Answer
In Excel, a worksheet is contained in a file called a ____. workbook
You can use predesigned, formatted files called ____ to create new worksheets quickly templates
You can use a spreadsheet to ____ by using variable values to investigate and sample different outcomes. create what-if data scenarios

How do you make the prefix minus in Excel?

Change positive numbers to negative with Paste Special function

  1. Tap number -1 in a blank cell and copy it.
  2. Highlight the range that you want to change, then right-click and choose Paste Special from the context menu to open the Paste Special dialog box.

How do you add a prefix to 0 in Excel?

Add a custom format to show leading zeros.

  1. Select the range of cells you want to add leading zeros to and open up the Format Cells dialog box. Right click and choose Format Cells.
  2. Go to the Number tab.
  3. Select Custom from the category options.
  4. Add a new custom format in the Type input.
  5. Press the OK button.

How do you write 0001 in Excel?

Steps

  1. Select the cell or range of cells that you want to format.
  2. Press Ctrl+1 to load the Format Cells dialog.
  3. Select the Number tab, then in the Category list, click Custom and then, in the Type box, type the number format, such as for a social security number code, or 00000 for a five-digit postal code.

How do I convert numbers to text?

Enter the formula =TEXT(C2,”0″) to the cell D2. In the formula, C2 is the address of the first cell with the numbers to convert. Copy the formula across the column using the fill handle. You will see the alignment change to left in the helper column after applying the formula.

How do I add a zero in front of a number in SQL?

6 Answers. The safest way is probably to only add zeroes when the length of the column is 1 character: UPDATE Table SET MyCol = ‘0’ + MyCol WHERE LEN(MyCol) = 1; This will cover all numbers under 10 and also ignore any that already have a leading 0.

Word styles can be tweaked to insert fixed characters before the text.  Prefix anything in a certain style with your choice of characters or words. Suffixing, or adding after some text, is a lot harder.

Word’s prefix and suffix support is poor and very limited.  This article shows what’s possible and workarounds for this strange omission.

Why prefix?

There are various situations where you might want to use a style to set words before a paragraph.  For example, a simple Q & A with pairs of paragraphs like this:

With the preceding text in the style, it’s very easy to change the look.  Use different words or abbreviation (Query, Ask, Prompt) or separator ( : – —…).

Yes, you could use Replace but that only works if the find text is only in that starting location, not anywhere else in the document.

Suffixes or text following isn’t supported by Word but you can fake it, almost.  We’ll show some examples below.

  • Adding … after an item
  • ‘Read More’ or ‘click here’ text in links at end of excerpt.
  • Whether a list (bullet or numbered) should have a fullstop/period at the end of each item. (this provokes some very heated opinions!)

Prefix/Suffix support would be great for special items like product codes, SKUs, code samples etc.  With proper prefix/suffix support in character styles it would be possible to show those elements in a consistent and easily changeable way.  (SKU1234) could become [SKU1234]  {SKU1234} or just SKU1234 by just changing the style.

CSS prefix/suffix

Web designers know that prefix/suffix is easy with Cascading Style Sheets CSS used in most web sites.  There are Pseudo-elements called :before and :after combined with the ‘content’ property that can add whatever you like as prefix or suffix.

ol li:before
{   content:"Question "; }

That CSS code adds the text ‘Question ’ to the start of each item in an numbered list.

If it’s possible and easy in a browser, surely it’s available in Microsoft Word?  Sorry, not so much.

Prefix

There’s no direct support for prefixes in Word but it’s fairly easy to fake for paragraphs.  In short, use multi-level numbering but without the numbers!

As you may know, Home | Paragraph | Multi-Level list can add text before numbers like Article, Heading, Section etc.

Make a new Multilevel list.

Number style for this level choose None.

  • Number style for this level – type in the prefix text you want.

Answer could be a separate multilevel list style but it’s probably easier to make it the second level of the same list style. If you wish, change the Aligned and Text indent so it’s aligned with Question, instead of the default indenting.

That works for paragraphs but not for character styles where, arguably, prefix/suffix support is needed even more. There’s a workaround for that, which we’ll explain below for suffixes.

Suffix

Adding fixed suffix text is possible but a lot harder. Harder than it should be.

Here’s an example of where a style-based suffix would be useful. The label (Bold, Italic etc.) can have different suffixes depending on preference (space, colon, dash, em-dash).

Ideally the label text could have a Character Style with a suffix setup in the style.  Since Microsoft hasn’t given us that, we have to look for workarounds.

If the suffix character or word is only in the suffix and nowhere else in the document, a simple Replace is enough.

But if the suffix is (or might be) in other parts of the document, a more complex Replace is necessary.

End of Paragraph only

One possibility is to search for the ending text plus the end of paragraph marker (^p in a find or replace).  That ensures you only replace text at the end of a paragraph.

This example replaces ellipsis … with a colon but only if at the end of a paragraph.

Limit by style

Another way to limit a find/replace is by style.

For this to work, you need to apply a special style to the paragraphs or phrases that need a special suffix.  Any replace can be limited to text just in that style. Choose the find and replace style using Format | Style.

This example only applies to text with the style ‘Code char’, the square closing bracket is replaced with a curly closing bracket.  E.g.   [Screen Cap]  becomes [Screen Cap}  .

VITAL!  This assumes that the prefix/suffix character is ONLY used in those two positions, not in the main text formatted with that style.

That’s also a way to workaround prefix/suffix in a character style.

Adding text to character style

If there’s no prefix/suffix text already present, there’s a way to insert text before or after a character style.

Use Replace with one of the lesser used find settings: Find whole words only.  Combine that with searching in a chosen style only.

Replace with uses another lesser known option:  Find What Text ^&  which inserts the result of the find into the replace box. If you want a prefix, add the text before e.g

Command:^&

For a suffix put it after:

^& —
If you prefer Wildcards / Regular Expressions, try this.

(<[A-Za-z]@{1,99})

Or

(<*>)

Finds whole words (letters only) or entire words in the chosen style only.

This works for single words only, as in our example above.

Finding multiple words takes more complex wildcards that find the word and extend to the start of the following text (in this case ‘Ctrl’).

Wish List

If Microsoft wanted to improve Word styles, they could start by looking at some of the features in modern CSS like pseudo elements  :before :after :first-letter and :first-line.  Add to that something not in CSS  :first-para

Common file name extensions in Windows

Extension Format
docx Microsoft Word document
dot Microsoft Word template before Word 2007
dotx Microsoft Word template
eml Email file created by Outlook Express, Windows Live Mail, and other programs

Contents

  • 1 What is the default file extension for all Word documents?
  • 2 What is the file extension for Word 2010?
  • 3 Which of the following extension is used for saving a file?
  • 4 What is the file extension of Word 2013?
  • 5 What is the file extension for Microsoft Word 2016?
  • 6 What is the default file extension of MS Word 2013?
  • 7 What is file extension and examples?
  • 8 What are the 5 file extensions?
  • 9 How do I add an extension to a file?
  • 10 What is the file extension of MS Excel 2010?
  • 11 What is the file extension of MS Excel 2007?
  • 12 What are Microsoft extensions?
  • 13 How do I open an XLA file in Office 365?
  • 14 What does a file extension look like?
  • 15 How do I get the file extension?
  • 16 What is your extension meaning?
  • 17 What is the extension of basic file?
  • 18 What is a 20 file?
  • 19 What are the 4 types of files?
  • 20 How do I make file extensions in Windows 10?

What is the default file extension for all Word documents?

The default file extension for all Word documents is ‘. docx‘.

The default file format for Word 2010 is Office Open XML (DOCX).

Which of the following extension is used for saving a file?

A Word Document, or DOC, file is the extension that Word would save its documents. Starting in Word 2007, the . docx file format became the standard file that Microsoft Word would save files as.

What is the file extension of Word 2013?

File formats that are supported in Word

Extension Name of file format
.docx Word Document
.docx Strict Open XML Document
.dot Word 97-2003 Template
.dotm Word Macro-Enabled Template

What is the file extension for Microsoft Word 2016?

docx
docx has been the default file type for Microsoft Word since the 2007 version, i.e. in Word 2007, Word 2010, Word 2013 and Word 2016.

What is the default file extension of MS Word 2013?

DOCX
The latest version of MS Word which is MS Word 2013 by default saves the documents in DOCX as well. One of the biggest advantages of DOCX file format is that it supports some additional formatting which is not possible when legacy file extension is used to save the documents.

What is file extension and examples?

A file extension (or simply “extension”) is the suffix at the end of a filename that indicates what type of file it is. For example, in the filename “myreport.It indicates the file is a text document. Some other examples include . DOCX, which is used for Microsoft Word documents, and .

What are the 5 file extensions?

In summary, the most common document file extensions are:

  • DOC and DOCX.
  • HTML and . HTM.
  • ODT.
  • PDF.
  • XLS and XLSX.
  • ODS.
  • PPT and . PPTX.
  • TXT.

How do I add an extension to a file?

How to change a file extension

  1. Click the file to select it, then click once more. Windows automatically selects the filename so that anything you type will replace the existing name.
  2. Click and drag over the extension, type the new extension and press Enter.

What is the file extension of MS Excel 2010?

File formats that use the Clipboard

Format Extension Clipboard type identifiers
Microsoft Excel file formats .xls Binary file formats for Excel versions 5.0/95 (BIFF5), Excel 97-2003 (BIFF8), and Excel 2010 (BIFF12).
SYLK .slk Symbolic Link Format.
DIF .dif Data Interchange Format.
Text (tab-delimited) .txt Tab-separated text format.

What is the file extension of MS Excel 2007?

xlsx
Office Excel 2007 supports the use of a new XML-based file format that Microsoft officially calls the Microsoft Office Open XML format. This new file format carries the filename extension . xlsx for Excel workbooks and . xlsm for macro-enabled workbooks.

What are Microsoft extensions?

Microsoft Edge extensions are small software programs that integrate with Edge to make surfing the internet easier, safer, and more productive. Here’s a look at finding and installing Edge extensions to personalize and enhance your web browsing experience.

How do I open an XLA file in Office 365?

How do I open an XLA file?

  1. Select File → Options → Add-Ins.
  2. In the Manage window, select Excel Add-ins → Go.
  3. In the Add-Ins window, select Browse.
  4. Find and select your XLA file. Then, click OK.

What does a file extension look like?

A file name extension is often between one and three characters and is always at the end of the file name, starting with a period.html file extension. Note. In all new versions of Microsoft Windows, by default, the file extensions are hidden, and you must have show file extensions enabled.

How do I get the file extension?

Open File Explorer; if you do not have an icon for this in the task bar; click Start, click Windows System, and then File Explorer. Click the View tab in File Explorer. Click the box next to File name extensions to see file extensions.

What is your extension meaning?

1 : the act of making something longer or greater extension of the sail. 2 : an increase in length or time. 3 : a part forming an addition or enlargement.

What is the extension of basic file?

For example, the doc extension tells your computer that the file is a Microsoft Word file.
Common Windows file extensions.

File Extension File Type
.AU Basic Audio
.AVI Multimedia Audio/Video
.BAT PC batch file
.BMP Windows BitMap

What is a 20 file?

What is 20 file? 20 filename suffix is mostly used for Salt Lake City Game Music files. Salt Lake City Game Music specification was created by Ubisoft Entertainment S.A.. 20 files are supported by software applications available for devices running Windows. Files with 20 extension are categorized as Game Files files.

What are the 4 types of files?

The four common types of files are document, worksheet, database and presentation files. Connectivity is the capability of microcomputer to share information with other computers. Wireless communication using mobile devices is the beginning of wireless revolution.

How do I make file extensions in Windows 10?

Add New File Types to Windows 10 Context Menu

  1. The Context Menu. The Context Menu in Windows 10 represents the best way to create a new file quickly and easily.
  2. Create New Files in the Context Menu.
  3. Add New Files to the Context Menu.
  4. Steps to Add File Types You Want.
  5. Create Files and Save Time.

What is a suffix?

Suffixes are morphemes (specific groups of letters with particular semantic meaning) that are added onto the end of root words to change their meaning. Suffixes are one of the two predominant kinds of affixes—the other kind is prefixes, which come at the beginning of a root word.

There is a huge range of suffixes in English, which can be broadly categorized as either inflectional or derivational.

Inflectional and Derivational Suffixes

Suffixes are used to change the grammatical function of an existing word. Sometimes this change is minor, with the word retaining its basic meaning and word class (part of speech) but conforming to the grammatical rules required by the structure of the sentence; these are known as inflectional suffixes. More often, the addition of a suffix results in the formation of a word that is in a completely different class and shares a meaning similar to the original root word; these are called derivational suffixes.

Inflectional Suffixes

Inflection refers to the changing of a word’s spelling according to the grammatical structure of a sentence. This is often accomplished by adding a specific suffix onto the end of a root word.

These inflectional suffixes are only used to modify the grammatical meaning of a word; they do not change a word from one part of speech to another, nor do they alter the fundamental meaning of the word. For example, the suffix “-s” is used with most nouns to indicate that they are plural (i.e., more than one), as in boys and girls. The basic meanings of the root words boy and girl do not change; they’ve simply been inflected to show that the speaker is talking about more than one.

Inflectional suffixes can be used with nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs. The tables below show all of the inflectional suffixes used with these parts of speech, as well as examples of each.

Inflectional Suffixes of Nouns

Suffix

Grammatical Function

Example Words

“-s”

Changes most nouns from singular to plural.

bank→banks

car→cars

pizza→pizzas

toy→toys

wire→wires

“-es”

Forms the plural for nouns ending in a sibilant sound (/s/, /z/, /ʧ/, or /ʃ/) as created by the endings “-ss,” “-z,” “-x,” “-sh,” “-ch,” or “-tch.”

coach→coaches

watch→watches

dish→dishes

box→boxes

bus→buses

kiss→two kisses

waltz→waltzes

“-en”

Changes certain irregular nouns* from singular to plural.

ox→oxen

child→children

brother→brethren

(*There are many irregular plural forms of nouns that do not adhere to any specific spelling pattern. To learn more about these and other rules for making nouns plural, see the section on Forming Plurals.)

Inflectional Suffixes of Verbs

Suffix

Grammatical Function

Example Words

“-s”

Forms the third-person singular for most verbs.

hear→hears

run→runs

think→thinks

write→writes

“-es”

Forms the third-person singular for verbs ending in a sibilant sound (/s/, /z/, /ʧ/, or /ʃ/) created by the endings “-ss,” “-z,” “-x,” “-sh,” “-ch,” or “-tch,” as well as verbs ending in a consonant + O.

approach→approaches

catch→catches

do→does

go→goes

hush→hushes

pass→passes

quiz→quizzes

“-ed”

Forms the past simple tense and past participle of most verbs.

ask→asked

burn→burned

dare→dared

hope→hoped

open→opened

talk→talked

walk→walked

“-en”

Forms the past participle of some irregular verbs.

be→been

drive→driven

eat→eaten

give→given

got→gotten

sink→sunken

write→written

“-ing”

Forms the present participle and gerund of verbs.

build→building

care→caring

hear→hearing

pass→passing

read→reading

see→seeing

wear→wearing

Inflectional Suffixes of Adjectives and Adverbs

Suffix

Grammatical Function

Example Words

“-er”

Forms the comparative degree for many adjectives and adverbs.

big→bigger

fast→faster*

happy→happier

high→higher*

sad→sadder

slow→slower*

“-est”

Forms the superlative degree for many adjectives and adverbs.

big→biggest

fast→fastest*

happy→happiest

high→highest*

sad→saddest

slow→slowest*

(*These words function either as adjectives or adverbs, depending on their use. Those without an asterisk only function as adjectives.)

Derivational Suffixes

Unlike inflectional suffixes, derivational suffixes create a new—though related—meaning in the word that’s formed. In many cases, the word formed by the addition of a derivational suffix will belong to a completely different part of speech (or word class). Suffixes that cause a shift in word class are sometimes referred to as class-changing suffixes.

There are many, many derivational suffixes used in English—too many to list here. We’ll just look at those most commonly encountered in day-to-day writing and speech.

It’s important to note that many words in modern English feature suffixes used with Latin, Old English, or foreign-language roots. For the sake of simplicity, we’ll mostly be focusing on examples of roots that can stand alone as words (with a few notable exceptions).

Suffixes that form nouns

Derivational suffixes that create nouns most often attach to verbs and (to a lesser degree) adjectives. However, several noun suffixes are also class-maintaining, meaning they form new nouns from other existing nouns. We’ll look at some of these a little later.

Suffix

Suffix meaning

Attaches to

Example words

“-age”

An action, process, or its result; a thing or place used for such an action.

verbs

(Often a class-maintaining suffix, as we’ll see later.)

append→appendage

block→blockage

cover→coverage

dote→dotage

haul→haulage

pack→package

seep→seepage

shrink→shrinkage

store→storage

use→usage

wreck→wreckage

“-al”

An action or process.

verbs

approve→approval

betray→betrayal

bury→burial

deny→denial

dispose→disposal

propose→proposal

renew→renewal

reverse→reversal

“-ance”

An action, process, state, condition, or quality.

verbs

most adjectives ending in “-ant”

appear→appearance

arrogant→arrogance

brilliant→brilliance

comply→compliance

deliver→deliverance

endure→endurance

fragrant→fragrance

ignorant→ignorance

perform→performance

reluctant→reluctance

tolerate→tolerance

“-dom”

A state or condition.

adjectives

(More often a class-maintaining suffix, as we’ll see later.)

bored→boredom

free→freedom

wise→wisdom

“-ee”

A person or thing receiving the effect of an action; less commonly, a person or thing controlling or performing a passive action.

verbs

absent→absentee

address→addressee

devote→devotee

employ→employee

interview→interviewee

nominate→nominee

train→trainee

trust→trustee

“-ence”

An action, process, state, condition, or quality.

verbs

most adjectives ending in “-ent”

absent→absence

cohere→coherence

defer→deference

evident→evidence

exist→existence

intelligent→intelligence

lenient→lenience

occur→occurrence

patient→patience

persist→persistence

revere→reverence

silent→silence

transfer→transference

“-er”

A person or thing performing or capable of a particular action.

verbs

bake→baker

compose→composer

cook→cooker

defend→defender

employ→employer

interview→interviewer

keep→keeper

teach→teacher

write→writer

“-ery”

The act, process, or practice of doing something, or a place for such.

verbs

bake→bakery

bribe→bribery

debauch→debauchery

distill→distillery

hatch→hatchery

mock→mockery

rob→robbery

trick→trickery

“-ication”

A state, condition, action, process, or practice, or the result thereof.

verbs ending in “-fy”

amplify→amplification

clarify→clarification

dignify→dignification

falsify→falsifiication

glorify→glorification

identify→identification

justify→justification

modify→modification

quantify→quantification

simplify→simplification

unify→unification

“-ism”

1. An action, process, or practice.

2. A state, condition, or quality.

3. A doctrine, theory, or set of guiding principles.

1. verbs

2 & 3. adjectives

active→activism

antagonize→antagonism

baptize→baptism

criticize→criticism

colloquial→colloquialism

exorcize→exorciism

feminine→feminism

liberal→liberalism

metabolize→metabolism

modern→modernism

pacific→pacifism

“-ist”

One who performs a particular action, process, or practice.

verbs

(More often a class-maintaining suffix, as we’ll see later.)

antagonize→antagonist

cycle→cyclist

exorcize→exorcicist

lobby→lobbyist

theorize→theorist

“-(i)ty”

(The i is dropped if the preceding vowel sound is or becomes unstressed.)

A state, condition, trait, or quality.

adjectives

able→ability

certain→certainty

cruel→cruelty

dual→duality

equal→equality

feminine→femininity

frail→frailty

hilarious→hilarity

masculine→masculinity

mature→maturity

plural→plurality

pure→purity

secure→security

“-ment”

An action or process, or the result thereof.

verbs

adjust→adjustment

bereave→bereavement

contain→containment

disappoint→disappointment

employ→employment

fulfill→fulfillment

judge→judgment

move→movement

place→placement

resent→resentment

treat→treatment

“-ness”

A state, condition, trait, or measurement thereof.

adjectives

alert→alertness

cold→coldness

dark→darkness

exact→exactness

fierce→fierceness

happy→happiness

kind→kindness

like→likeness

selfish→selfishness

useful→usefulness

“-or”

A person or thing controlling or performing an action.

verbs

act→actor

communicate→communicator

direct→director

educate→educator

invest→investor

profess→professor

sail→sailor

survive→survivor

translate→translator

“-sion”

A state, condition, action, process, or practice, or the result thereof.

verbs

admit→admission

allude→allusion

compel→compulsion

convert→conversion

decide→decision

divert→diversion

emit→emission

extend→extension

impress→impression

invade→invasion

invert→inversion

obsess→obsession

propel→propulsion

seclude→seclusion

suspend→suspension

transmit→transmission

“-tion”

A state, condition, action, process, or practice, or the result thereof.

verbs

act→action

affect→affection

communicate→communication

complete→completion

direct→direction

educate→education

evolve→evolution

inscribe→inscription

interrupt→interruption

misconceive→misconception

resolve→resolution

subscribe→subscription

translate→translation

Nouns formed from other nouns

As we mentioned already, many suffixes attach to existing nouns to create another noun with a new meaning. Because the words remain nouns, these suffixes are known as class-maintaining suffixes. (We looked at some of these already—they can be either class maintaining or class changing, depending on the root word that the suffix attaches to.)

Here are some of the most common:

Suffix

Suffix meaning

Example words

“-age”

1. A collection or group; a mass or amount.

2. A status, relationship, or connection.

3. A condition or state of being.

4. A place of residence.

4. A rate or measurement of.

acre→acreage

bag→baggage

baron→baronage

bond→bondage

cube→cubage

floor→floorage

foot→footage

front→frontage

hermit→hermitage

mile→mileage

orphan→orphanage

pasture→pasturage

percent→percentage

sewer→sewerage

vicar→vicarage

watt→wattage

“-(e)ry”

(The e is usually dropped if the preceding vowel sound is or becomes unstressed.)

1. A group, collection, category, or class of things.

2. A state or condition of being.

3. The characteristic qualities, actions, or behavior.

4. A practice or occupation.

ancestor→ancestry

buffoon→buffoonery

circuit→circuitry

crock→crockery

dentist→dentistry

image→imagery

peasant→peasantry

pedant→pedantry

prude→prudery

scene→scenery

snob→snobbery

zealot→zealotry

“-ist”

1. One who produces, practices, plays, operates, or is otherwise connected to a specific thing or activity.

2. One who follows or adheres to a certain doctrine, theory, or set of guiding principles.

3. One who specializes in a specific field of study.

activism→activist

anthropology→anthropologist

art→artist

bass→bassist

biology→biologist

Calvinism→Calvinist

capitalism→capitalist

feminism→feminist

guitar→guitarist

modernism→modernist

novel→novelist

pacifism→pacifist

pharmacy→pharmacist

piano→pianist

psychiatry→psychiatrist

racism→racist

romanticism→romanticist

science→scientist

zoology→zoologist

“-dom”

1. A state, quality, or condition.

2. A specified domain or jurisdiction.

3. A particular rank or position.

duke→dukedom

earl→earldom

chief→chiefdom

Christian→Christendom

fan→fandom

king→kingdom

martyr→martyrdom

prince→princedom

star→stardom

“-hood”

1. A state, quality, or condition.

2. A group sharing a state, quality, or condition.

adult→adulthood

boy→boyhood

brother→brotherhood

child→childhood

father→fatherhood

girl→girlhood

knight→knighthood

man→manhood

mother→motherhood

parent→parenthood

sister→sisterhood

woman→womanhood

“-ship”

1. A state, quality, or condition.

2. A particular rank, status, or position, or the time spent in such a position.

3. Skill, craft, or artistry employed in a particular profession or practice.

apprentice→apprenticeship

champion→championship

citizen→citizenship

craftsman→craftsmanship

dealer→dealership

dean→deanship

friend→friendship

leader→leadership

penman→penmanship

professor→professorship

scholar→scholarship

sponsor→sponsorship

workman→workmanship

“-(o)logy”

Another common suffix used to form nouns is the ending “-logy” (or “-ology” when following certain consonant sounds), which produces the meaning “a branch or field of knowledge, science, theory, or study.”

This suffix usually does not attach to pre-existing English roots; instead, it more often connects to Greek or Latin roots. For example:

Root

Root Meaning

+ -(o)logy

New Meaning

astro-

star, celestial body, or outer space

astrology

Originally meaning “the science of the heavenly bodies,” astrology now refers to the study of the positions and motions of planets, stars, and the moon in the belief that they influence human decisions and characteristics.

bio-

life

biology

The science of life and living animals.

cardio-

pertaining to the heart

cardiology

The scientific study of the structures, functions, and disorders of the heart.

geo-

earth (generally) or Earth (specifically)

geology

The scientific study of the origin and structures of the Earth.

ideo-

of or pertaining to ideas

ideology

A set of doctrines or beliefs that are held by an individual or shared by members of a social group.

neuro-

of or pertaining to a nerve or the nervous system

neurology

The scientific study of the structures, functions, and disorders of the nervous system.

psych-

mind, spirit, soul

psychology

The science and study of mental and behavioral processes.

theo-

God or gods

theology

The study of the divine and of religious truths.

zoo-*

animal, living being

zoology

The study of animals, including their physiology, development, and classification.

(*The root zoo- is a combining form derived from the Greek word zoion. The English word zoo is actually a shortening of the term zoological garden.)

Because the meaning of “-(o)logy” is so well established, it is sometimes attached to existing English words to create new terms that follow the pattern established by the Greek and Latin roots. For instance:

  • anesthesia→anesthesiology
  • climate→climatology
  • criminal→criminology
  • icon→iconology
  • music→musicology
  • radiation→radiology
  • reflex→reflexology

However, this combination is much less common than the use of Greek or Latin roots.

Suffixes that form verbs

Derivational suffixes that create verbs attach to nouns and adjectives.

Suffix

Suffix meaning

Attaches to

Example words

“-en”

1. To become or cause to become.

2. To come or cause to have.

1. adjectives

2. nouns

black→blacken

broad→broaden

cheap→cheapen

fright→frighten

hard→harden

heart→hearten

length→lengthen

red→redden

sharp→sharpen

sick→sicken

strength→strengthen

“-ify”

To make or cause to become.

adjectives, nouns

ample→amplify

beauty→beautify

clear→clarify

diverse→diversify

dignity→dignify

glory→glorify

just→justify

pure→purify

null→nullify

simple→simplify

type→typify

“-ize”

To become or cause to become; to do or make that to which the suffix is attached.

adjectives, nouns

accessory→accessorize

apology→apologize

capital→capitalize

civil→civilize

economy→economize

empathy→empathize

fertile→fertilize

industrial→industrialize

legal→legalize

human→humanize

standard→standardize

theory→theorize

union→unionize

“-ise” vs. “-ize”

In American English, the suffix “-ize” is used to change nouns and adjectives into verbs, as we have just seen, and it also appears in verbs that do not have standalone root words. British English, however, predominantly uses the synonymous suffix “-ise.” For more information on this difference in spelling, go to the section on American English vs. British English.

“-ate”

There is also another common suffix that results in the creation of verbs: “-ate.” However, while this ending does occasionally attach to pre-existing nouns or adjectives (meaning “to act on, cause to become or be modified, or furnish with”), it is much more likely to appear in verbs that come from the past participles of Latin verbs. Even many words that look like they come directly from nouns or adjectives are in fact derived from Latin. For example:

Formed from nouns and adjectives

Formed from Latin verbs

active→activate

caffeine→caffeinate

caliber→calibrate

hyphen→hyphenate

pollen→pollinate

abbreviate→from Latin abbreviatus

accentuate→from Latin accentuatus

circulate→from Latin circulatus

domesticate→from Latin domesticatus

duplicate→from Latin duplicatus

educate→from Latin educatus

elongate→from Latin elongatus

habituate→from Latin habituatus

insulate→from Latin insulatus

migrate→from Latin migratus

notate→from Latin notatus

separate→from Latin separatus

translate→from Latin translatus

Suffixes that form adjectives

Derivational suffixes that create adjectives usually attach to nouns. Much less often, they attach to verbs.

Suffix

Suffix meaning

Attaches to

Example words

“-able”

Possible; capable of; suitable for.

verbs

adore→adorable

break→breakable

debate→debatable

do→doable

excite→excitable

live→livable

manage→manageable

read→readable

stop→stoppable

“-al”

Having the characteristics of or relating to.

nouns

artifice→artificial

bride→bridal

brute→brutal

center→central

emotion→emotional

form→formal

logic→logical

music→musical

politics→political

space→spatial

tide→tidal

“-en”

Made of or resembling.

nouns

ash→ashen

earth→earthen

flax→flaxen

gold→golden

lead→leaden

wax→waxen

wood→wooden

“-ful”

1. Full of; characterized by.

2. Tending or able to.

1. nouns

2. verbs

beauty→beautiful

care→careful

delight→delightful

forget→forgetful

grace→graceful

joy→joyful

law→lawful

mourn→mournful

play→playful

respect→respectful

waste→wasteful

“-ible”

Possible; capable of; suitable for.

verbs

access→accessible

collapse→collapsible

digest→digestible

divide→divisible

eat→edible

flex→flexible

omit→omissible

perceive→perceptible

receive→receptible

sense→sensible

suggest→suggestible

“-ic”

Having the characteristics of or relating to.

nouns

acid→acidic

base→basic

comedy→comedic

galaxy→galactic

hero→heroic

irony→ironic

magnet→magnetic

myth→mythic

nostalgia→nostalgic

poetry→poetic

rhythm→rhythmic

system→systemic

“-ical”

Having the characteristics of or relating to.

nouns

acid→atomical

biology→biological

comedy→comical

history→historical

myth→mythical

philosophy→philosophical

type→typical

whimsy→whimsical

“-ish”

1. Typical of, similar to, or related to.

2. Of or associated with (a particular nationality, region, or language).

3. Inclined to or preoccupied with.

nouns

book→bookish

boy→boyish

Britain→British

child→childish

clown→clownish

Denmark→Danish

fiend→fiendish

girl→girlish

nightmare→nightmarish

prude→prudish

self→selfish

Spain→Spanish

Sweden→Swedish

“-less”

Lacking; deprived of; without.

nouns

aim→aimless

blame→blameless

color→colorless

doubt→doubtless

home→homeless

hope→hopeless

limit→limitless

need→needless

point→pointless

rest→restless

self→selfless

time→timeless

use→useless

“-ly”

1. Similar to or characteristic of.

2. Occurring at such intervals of time.

nouns

brother→brotherly

coward→cowardly

day→daily

elder→elderly

friend→friendly

heaven→heavenly

hour→hourly

like→likely

love→lovely

month→monthly

miser→miserly

order→orderly

scholar→scholarly

year→yearly

“-ous”

Possessing; characterized by; full of.

nouns

advantage→advantageous

caution→cautious

disaster→disastrous

fame→famous

glamor→glamorous

joy→joyous

malice→malicious

nutrition→nutritious

religion→religious

pretense→pretentious

poison→poisonous

suspicion→suspicious

“-y”

1. Characterized by; consisting or having the quality of; filled with.

2. Tending or inclined to.

1. nouns

2. verbs

bulk→bulky

class→classy

dream→dreamy

ease→easy

leak→leaky

mess→messy

rain→rainy

rope→ropy

shine→shiny

smell→smelly

wimp→wimpy

Suffixes that form adverbs

By far the most common and well-known suffix that creates adverbs by attaching to adjectives is “-ly.” However, there are two others derivational suffixes that form adverbs: “-ways/-wise” and “-ward.”

Suffix

Suffix meaning

Attaches to

Example words

“-ly”

1. In a certain or specified manner.

2. At that interval of time.

1. adjectives

2. nouns (units of time)

abrupt→abruptly

artistic→artistically

calm→calmly

day→daily

daring→daringly

double→doubly

easy→easily

extreme→extremely

full→fully

happy→happily

hour→hourly

lucky→luckily

majestic→majestically

month→monthly

practical→practically

probable→probably

quiet→quietly

right→rightly

smart→smartly

true→truly

whole→wholly

year→yearly

“-ways/-wise”

(“-wise” is much more common, especially in American English, except with the root side, which almost always becomes sideways)

1. In a specified manner, direction, or position.

2. With reference or in regard to. (sometimes hyphenated)

nouns, adjectives

clock→clockwise

business→businesswise

edge→edgewise (occasionally: edgeways)

health→health-wise

length→lengthwise (occasionally: lengthways)

like→likewise

other→otherwise

side→sideways

weather→weather-wise

“-ward”

In a specified direction or position.

nouns, adjectives, adverbs

back→backward

down→downward

east→eastward

fore→forward

front→frontward

home→homeward

north→northward

on→onward

south→southward

to→toward

west→westward

Spelling changes

Finally, it’s worth pointing out how the spelling of many words becomes slightly altered when a suffix is added. Even though these changes can at times seem haphazard, there are actually several guidelines we can follow to determine how a word’s spelling might change if a suffix is added. Go to the section on Spelling Conventions with Suffixes to learn more.

Chapter Sub-sections

  • Commonly Confused Suffixes
  • Spelling Conventions with Suffixes

Suffixes: What Are They?


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Suffixes are “word parts” that can alter many different components of a word. Because of that, it’s vital to know how to use them correctly. We’ll show you how.

What's a suffix? Find out below.

“Suffixes” are a type of “affix.”
What’s a Suffix?

A suffix is a letter or a group of letters that are added to the end of a word. It can change its meaning or grammatical properties. For example, the suffix “-al” can change nouns into adjectives, and “-s” can change nouns from singular to plural.

  • Music → Musical
  • Phone → Phones

First Things First: What’s an Affix?

To thoroughly understand what suffixes are, you must first be familiar with affixes.

Consider these the alchemists of the spelling and vocabulary world. Affixes are basically “word parts” (morphemes) that are added to the base of a word and have the power to completely alter its meaning or word form.

The two major types of affixes in English are prefixes and suffixes. This blog post will focus on suffixes and tell you what they are, go over the different types, and provide examples.


What Is a Suffix?

A suffix is a type of affix that is found at the end of a word. A suffix can be just one letter or a group of letters.

joyful

joyless

joys

In the examples above, “-ful,” “-less,” and “-s” are suffixes. All of these suffixes serve a different purpose and uniquely change the word. Here are some more examples of suffixes and their meanings:

“-able” means “capable of being” → debatable

“-ful” means “full of” → wonderful

“-hood” means “state or condition of” → puppyhood

“-less” means “without” → defenseless

-ment” means “action or process of” → encouragement

“-ship” means “state or condition of” → friendship

“-tion” means “action or process of” → hospitalization

“-ity” means “state or quality of” → clarity

“-ize” means “to make or become” → accessorize

This is just a brief list of English suffixes. There are many of them, and each adds to words in different ways. There are different categories of suffixes, though, which we’ll explore below.

What’s the Difference Between a Prefix and a Suffix?

While a suffix is found at the end of a word (e.g., relationship), a prefix is found at the beginning of a word (e.g., disinfect). A few more examples of prefixes include:

  • “anti-” (which means “against or opposed to”): Antiviral
  • “pre-” (which means “before”): Prerequisite
  • “un-” (which means “not or opposite of”): Unstable

Types of Suffixes

In English, there are two different types of suffixes: inflectional suffixes and derivational suffixes.

Inflectional Suffixes

Inflectional suffixes are suffixes that change the grammatical properties of a word, including function, tense, mood, aspect, and more. They do not, however, change the word’s basic meaning or part of speech.

Suffix

Change Made

Example

“-ed”

Changes a verb to past tense

Walk vs. Walked

-en”

Changes a verb to past participle (irregular)

Take vs. (had) Taken

“-er”

Creates a comparative degree in adjectives and adverbs

Slow vs. Slower

“-ing”

Changes a verb to past participle and gerund

Dance vs. Dancing

-(e)s”

Changes noun from singular to plural

Cat vs. Cats

“-est”

Creates a superlative degree in adjectives and adverbs

Slow vs. Slowest

“-(e)s”

Changes a verb to its third-person present

Make vs. Makes

Derivational Suffixes

Derivational suffixes, on the other hand, can create a new word with a different meaning and part of speech. For example, adding “-ly” to “slow” changes it from an adjective to an adverb.

There are two types of derivational suffixes: class-changing derivation and class-maintaining derivation. Those that are class-maintaining create a new word but maintain the part of speech. Here are examples of derivational suffixes and what category they fall under:

Suffix

Changes Made

Example

“-able/-ible”

Verbs → Adjectives

Tolerate vs. Tolerable

“-ant”

Verbs → Nouns

Ignore vs. Ignorant

“-ess”

Word remains a noun

Actor vs. Actress

“-hood”

Word remains a noun

Neighbor vs. Neighborhood

“-ity”

Adjectives → Nouns

Absurd vs. Absurdity

“-like”

Nouns → Adjectives

Child vs. Childlike

“-ness»

Adjectives → Nouns

Dark vs. Darkness

-tion/-ion/-ation

Verbs → Nouns

Imagine vs. Imagination

Keep in mind that roots of a word can have more than one suffix. For instance, the word playfulness has the suffixes “-ful” and “-ness.”


Suffix Rules: Understanding and Using Them Correctly

Please be aware that you can’t just add a suffix to any word. Using suffixes correctly requires a thorough comprehension of their rules and guidelines.

For example, when you’re adding a suffix that starts with a vowel to a word that ends in a final silent “-e,” the final “-e” should be dropped.

imagine + “-able” = imaginable

exercise + “-ing” = exercising

Or, when adding a suffix to a word that ends in a consonant plus “y,” change the “y” to an “i” in most cases.

try + “-ed” = tried

busy + “-ily” = busily

These are just two of the many rules behind using suffixes. Luckily, LanguageTool can ensure proper spelling and use of suffixes. This advanced writing assistant goes beyond checking for errors and also analyzes your text thoroughly to make stylistic recommendations and enhance your writing completely.

It supports more than 30 languages and is free to try!

What is an affix? What is a suffix? Can you now answer these questions?

Suffixes can alter a word’s meaning or form.

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