Word List - Stems Roots and Affixes

A word on how to use this list: N, V, Adj, Adv., etc. refer to parts of speech. When you

see N

?

Adj, it means that the suffix in the next column when added to a noun changes it

to an Adjective, e.g., season (n.) + al

?

seasonal (adj.).

Suffixes that

indicate one who…

N

inan

→ N

an

-an, -ian

American, comedian

N

inan

→ N

an

-ant

communicant

N

inan

→ N

an

-eer

puppeteer

V → N

an

-ee

employee

V → N

an

-er

teacher

V → N

an

-ist

tourist

V → N

an

-or

sailor

V →N

an

-ary, ess, -ent

secretary, laundress, president

Suffixes that refer to…

N → Adj

-al

seasonal

N → Adj

-ward

backward

N

an

→ N

inan

-hood

V → N

an

→

N

-ship

V

→

N

-dom

Suffixes that establish a condition, doctrine,

quality, state…

Adj

→ N

-ism

Adj → N

Adj → N

N → Adj

N → Adj

N → Adj

N → Adj

N → Adj

N → N

V → Adj

V → Adj

V → N

V → N/Adj

V

-ity

-ness

-ic

-ish

-less

-ous, -ious,

-ose

-y

-ty

-able, -ible,

-ble

-ive

-ance, -ence

-ion, -tion

-ate

-fy

bachelorhood

ownership

freedom

action or practice, theory or set of

beliefs realism

condition, quality, state of being

inferiority

meanness

angelic

babyish

worthless

full of, having the qualities of

fabulous

cloudy

instrument for looking

eternity

capable of, fit for

audible

restive

excellence

omission

election

to make

to elevate

create

educate

to make

liquify

to make, to become

cauterize

V

to make

enliven

N

-meter

measuring instrument, measure

chronometer

N

-scope

periscope

Noun Endings

-an, -ian

of, belonging to

-ance, -ence

act, quality

-ancy, -ency

state of

-ary, -arium

place where

-ary, ess, -eer,

person who

-ant, -ent

-ation

action, institution

-cide

kill

-ian, -er, -or, -ist

person who

-ion, -tion, -ity

state, quality, act

-ism

quality, doctrine

-logy, -ology

study

-ment

act, state

-ness, -dom

state, quality

-ory, -orium

place where

-ship, -hood

state, quality

Adjective Endings

-able, -ible

able to be

-al, -ative, -ent,

like, related to

-ic

-ful

having

-ish, -ive, -ous,

like, related to

-ious

-less

without

-ly

having the quality of

Adverb Suffixes

-ly

in the manner of

-ward

toward

-wise

in the manner of

Verb Endings

-ate, -ify, -ize

make, act

-en

make

Prefixes of negation or reversal

a-, an-

not, without

apart, antonym

ab-

against

abstain

anti-

against

antiapartheid

contra-, counter-

against

contraband, counterclockwise

de-

away, down,

delay, demit

reverse the

action of, undo

V

-ize

-en

dis-, di-, dif-

in-

il-, ir-, im-

mis-

non-

un-

Prefixes

ab-

am-

a-, an-

ante-

anti-

arch-

auto-

bene-

bi-

circum-

com-, con-,

col-, cor-, co-

contra-, counter-

de-

dis-, di-, dif-

dys-

e-, ex-

eu-

extra-, extro-

hetero-

homo-

hyper-

hypo-

in-, im-, il-, ir-

inter-

intro-, intra-

mal-

mega-

mis-

mono-

micro-

multi-

apart, away, not

not

not, into

wrong

not

not

disassociate, divide, differ

indecent

illegal

misjudge

nonsequitur

unnecessary

away from

absent, abolish

love

amicable, amorous

not, without

atypical, anorexia

before

antebellum

against

antiwar, antisocial

first

archbishop, architect

self

automatic

well

benefit, beneveolent

two, twice

biannually

around

circumstance

together, with

commend, connect

collect, correct, cosponsor

against, opposite

contrary, counteract

away, down,

delay, demit

reverse the

action of, undo

apart, away, not

disappear, divide,

?

bad

dysfunctional, dyslexia

from, out of,

elect

away, out

exaggerate

good

eulogy, euphoria, Europe

outside, beyond

extraordinary, extrovert

heterogeneous

?

same

homogeneous

extreme

hyperactive

under

hypothetical, hypocrite

not

intone, immitate, illegal, irrelevant

between

interdisciplinary

within, in

introvert, intramural

bad, ill, wrong

malady, malfunction

large, one

megacity, megabyte

million

bad(ly)

mistake, misfortune

one, single,

monograph

alone

small

microscope

many

multifamily