Word parts

Suffixes

A suffix is a word part added to the end: jumped, jumping, jumps, quickly, hopeful. Recognising the suffix lets a reader strip it off, read the base word they already know, and put it back.

The -ed ending is the one worth explicit time. It has three pronunciations, as in jumped, landed and played, and readers who expect one of them stall on the other two.

Patterns and example words

Every word below is from the word list Cody generates from, not a hand-picked sample. The count is how many words in that list carry the pattern.

suffix -ed

4,564 words

willed liked timed worked used looked wanted needed

suffix -ing

4,312 words

being having doing willing saying going knowing liking

suffix -s

17,826 words

beings its yours theirs ours does hers sayings

suffix -es

647 words

uses courses houses cases businesses increases closes processes

suffix -er

7,893 words

newer longer greater littler another older later higher

suffix -est

307 words

newest longest greatest littlest oldest latest highest kindest

suffix -ly

1,062 words

actually probably finally likely certainly particularly simply recently

suffix -ful

121 words

beautiful successful useful wonderful powerful careful helpful grateful

suffix -less

181 words

unless regardless clueless countless endless fearless flawless harmless

suffix -ness

381 words

business witness illness awareness weakness happiness darkness awfulness

suffix -ment

297 words

government development management environment department statement agreement movement

suffix -y

1,414 words

study early money today storey ready okay daily

Curricula that teach this

Cody generates material against the scope and sequence you already teach. This skill appears in Cody Curriculum, UFLI Inspired.

Common questions

Why does -ed sound different in jumped, landed and played?

Because the sound before it decides. After an unvoiced sound it says /t/, after d or t it says /id/, and after a voiced sound it says /d/.

Make a decodable story for this skill

Cody generates stories, word lists and worksheets constrained to the patterns a student has already been taught, so practice on suffixes does not smuggle in something they have not met yet.