Suffixes –er and –est!

​Learning Suffixes –er and –est!

Discover how –er and –est change words to compare people, animals, and things.

What Is a Suffix?

A suffix is a word part added to the end of a word.
It changes the meaning of the base word!

Examples:

• help → helper

• kind → kindness

💡 Tip: The suffix comes after the base word — like a “word ending hat!” 🎩

What Does –er Mean?

When you add –er to an adjective, it means “more” or shows comparison between two things.

Examples:

• tall → taller (more tall)

• fast → faster (more fast)

• small → smaller (more small)

💡 Think: –er compares two things.

What Does –est Mean?

When you add –est to an adjective, it means “the most” — the one that has the highest amount.

Examples:

• tall → tallest (the most tall)

• fast → fastest (the most fast)

• small → smallest (the most small)

💡 Think: –est compares three or more things.

Comparing with –er and –est

Use –er when comparing two things.
Use –est when comparing three or more.

Examples:

• My dog is bigger than your dog. 🐶

• Out of all the dogs, Max is the biggest. 🏆

Practice Time!

1. Today is (cold) → Today is colder than yesterday.

2. That mountain is the (high) → That mountain is the highest one.

3. This book is (fun) → This book is funnier than that one.

4. Of all the runners, he is the (fast) → He is the fastest!

💡 Hint: Remember: –er = two; –est = three or more.

Categorize

Options (16)

faster

bigger

longer

fastest

biggest

longest

taller

wider

quieter

stronger

brighter

tallest

widest

quietest

strongest

brightest

Drag or sort the words into the correct column.

–er Words

–est Words

Match

Match the word to the description.

• two kids, one taller

• three kids of different heights

• two apples, one larger

• three race cars, one far ahead

• two boxes, one smaller

taller

tallest

bigger

fastest

smaller

• taller

• tallest

• bigger

• fastest

• smaller

Multiple Choice

Which word means “more big”?

• big

• bigger

• biggest

Multiple Choice

Which word means “the most tall”?

• tall

• taller

• tallest

Multiple Choice

Which word would fit?
This book is ______ than that book.

• longer

• longest

• long

Multiple Choice

Which is correct?

Of all the birds, the eagle is the ______.

• big

• bigger

• biggest

Multiple Choice

Choose the word with the suffix –er.

• faster

• fastest

• fastly

• fast

Multiple Choice

Choose the word with the suffix –est.

• taller

• tallest

• tall

• talling

Multiple Choice

Which word means “more cold”?

• cold

• coldest

• colder

Multiple Choice

Which sentence is correct?

• My car is fastester than your car.

• My car is fastest than your car.

• My car is fastly than your car.

• My car is faster than your car.

Multiple Choice

Which sentence uses –est correctly?

• That dog is biggest than mine.

• That dog is biggestly

• That dog is bigerest

• That dog is the biggest of all.

Multiple Choice

Which word means “the most happy”?

• happier

• happiest

• happy