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inflectional suffix
/ɪnˈflɛkʃənəl ˈsʌfɪks/
grammatical ending changing word form
In English, the suffix '-s' in 'dogs' is an inflectional suffix that marks plural.
The '-s' changes 'dog' to show there is more than one.
technical
A suffix added to a word to indicate grammatical function without changing its core meaning or word class.
The suffix '-ed' in 'walked' shows past tense.
'-ed' modifies the verb 'walk' to indicate the action happened in the past.
The suffix '-s' in 'she runs' marks third person singular present tense.
It changes the verb form to agree with the subject 'she'.
Inflectional suffixes modify tense, number, person, or mood but do not create new words. Contrast with derivational suffixes (e.g., '-ness' in 'happiness'), which change word class or meaning.
Collocations
add an inflectional suffixto attach a grammatical ending to a wordregular inflectional suffixa predictable suffix following standard grammatical rules
Antonyms
Related Phrases
Pro Tip
Remembering the difference
Inflectional suffixes modify existing words (e.g., 'cat' → 'cats'), while derivational suffixes create new words (e.g., 'happy' → 'happiness').
Gold Rule
Inflection vs. derivation
Inflectional suffixes NEVER change the word's part of speech or core meaning. They only adjust grammatical features like tense, number, or person.
Word Origin
From Latin 'inflectere' (to bend) + 'suffixus' (fastened below), with 'inflection' entering English in the 16th century and 'suffix' in the 18th.
Usage Notes
Inflectional suffixes are language-specific. For example, English uses '-s' for plurals and '-ed' for past tense, while Spanish uses '-o' for first person singular present tense verbs. They are essential for sentence structure and agreement.
Word Breakdown
inflectional
relating to grammatical modification
adjectivesuffix
a letter or group of letters added at the end of a word
nounEnglish Dictionary