What is a suffix?
A suffix is an ending added to a word: help → helpful, kind → kindness. Sometimes the base word’s spelling changes first.
| Rule | Examples |
|---|---|
| Word ends in e, suffix starts with a vowel (-ing, -ed, -er, -able): drop the e | hope → hoping, make → making, love → lovable |
| Word ends in e, suffix starts with a consonant (-ful, -ment, -ly): keep the e | hope → hopeful, excite → excitement, safe → safely |
| Consonant + y: change y → i (but keep y before -ing) | happy → happiness, carry → carried, but carrying |
| -ful has only one l | careful, beautiful, hopeful, and then carefully |
| -able when a whole word is left; -ible when it isn’t | enjoyable, comfortable · horrible, possible, visible |
| Words ending -de or -se usually become -sion | decide → decision, confuse → confusion, divide → division |
Watch out! Words ending in -ce or -ge keep the e before -able, so the letter stays soft: noticeable, changeable.
Top tip: say the base word first, add the suffix, then check whether a rule changes the spelling.
👆 Spot the right spelling
Tap every word that is spelt correctly.
🔎 Suffix check1 of 5