How to Teach Word Endings So Students Actually Notice Them (A Clear Approach to Suffixes)

As a kid, when I learned suffixes, I don’t recall getting a lot of reasoning behind the topic. But, knowing what I know now, I can’t imagine teaching them any other way than how we teach in structured literacy.

Today, I want to answer: How do suffixes fit into a cumulative Orton-Gillingham lesson?

Because in OG, we’re not just teaching endings, we’re doing something cumulative and smart, where students begin to understand how words are constructed.

This is where suffixes become more than something to change the word from one tense to another. They become part of morphology, explaining how words are formed and the meaning behind each word.

What Do Suffixes Actually Do?

The English language uses affixes to root words to give new meaning by adding prefixes to the beginning and suffixes to the end of a word. It’s efficient – we don’t have to learn new words to get a new word, we just add something to the beginning or the end of a word we already know, and there we have it, a new meaning.

It’s an easy definition to tell kids, even younger kids: We don’t have to create a whole new word — we just add a suffix (or a prefix), and we have a new meaning!

Vowel and Consonant Suffixes: Why It Matters

Suffixes can begin with vowels or consonants. This is important to teach students because when learning suffix rules later, it matters.

Suffixes beginning with a vowel are called “vowel suffixes,” and suffixes beginning with consonants are called “consonant suffixes.”

As Instruction Builds, So Do the Rules

Once students are comfortable with basic suffixes, instruction naturally deepens.

We begin to layer in suffix rules:

• 1-1-1 Doubling Rule
• The E-Drop Rule
• The Y-changing Rule

To prepare students for suffix addition rules that are coming their way, like the E-drop rule and Y-change rule, we present the most common suffixes.

They are: -ed, -en, -er, -est, -ful, -ing, -ish, -less, -ly, -ness, -y.

At this point, students will need to use the vowel/consonant suffixes to determine how they attach the suffix.

And this is where the real learning happens.

From Suffixes to Word Families

Suffixes don’t stay isolated for long. They begin to connect to:

• base words
• prefixes
• related word forms

For example:

• kind = kindness = unkind = kindly

Now, students are not just reading words. They are recognizing:

• patterns
• meaning
• relationships between words

This is the heart of morphology, and it builds naturally when suffix instruction is taught in a structured way.

Looking for resources to teach suffixes? For start to finish, simple suffixes to advanced morphology, the Scope and Sequence Bundle covers the entire OG scope and sequence from start to finish in 4 books.

Teaching The Meaning Behind the Suffix

Part of what we teach when teaching suffixes in OG is the meaning of the suffix.

This is an example of what that can look like.

The reason to teach suffixes and their meanings is twofold.

One, by teaching what they are and what they mean, you increase vocabulary skills.

Two, when a student can decode a word by immediately seeing the suffixes and dividing the base word apart, suddenly, a word that was very long and scary is much easier to manage.

For example, Institutional   becomes   institu tion al

Note: Not all suffixes have a “meaning.” Something like -ed, is explained as a verb, the past tense action of a verb. But, an ending like -ish is an adjective meaning “the quality of,” and we can teach it.

Other tidbits:

• You cannot hear the spelling of some suffixes because the schwa is present. Examples: -ance, -ence, -able, -ible, -ant, -ent.
• Some endings are tricky for even the best spellers. For example, -or (actor) vs. –er (faster). Like those above, you can’t tell the difference in spelling by hearing it because they sound just alike.

Here are common suffixes and example words.

Beginning Vowel Suffixes

• -ed (yelled)
• -ing (falling)
• – y (rainy)
• – er (lower)
• -en (sweeten)
• -est (slowest)
• -ist (lobbyist)
• -ish (babyish)
• -able (payable)
• -age (package)

Beginning Consonant Suffixes

• -ful (thankful)
• -ly (bravely)
• -less (nameless)
• -ness (fitness)
• -ment (statement)

A Final Word: Keep It Structured and Cumulative

Suffix instruction is most effective when it is:

• explicit — directly taught
• cumulative — built over time
• connected — linked to meaning and structure

It’s fun when we can see the progression in a student’s learning. It’s not that different than seeing kids go from learning the letters and sounds to blending CVC words.

We all love a good, “ah ha!” It’s a little slower, and more cumulative with suffixes, but eventually, these small endings unlock a world of words, and reading and spelling evolve into something great.