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2nd Grade Suffixes Worksheets

A suffix is a word part attached to the end of a base word. Second graders start with the friendly five: -ful (full of), -less (without), -er (a person who), -ly (in that way), and -y (like or covered with). Mud becomes muddy, teach becomes teacher, slow becomes slowly.

Free printable PDF, aligned to Common Core L.2.4.c. One skill per page, answer key on page two.

Every sheet is one of a kind and prints with a version code, so you can reprint the exact same one later. New version every click.

A sample 2nd grade sheet. Yours will have different sentences. Click it to print your own.

The kind of sentences you'll get

Circle the letter of the word with the correct suffix.

  1. The pony trotted ______ around the ring. proudly · proudful · proudness

    Answer: proudly

  2. My swim ______ says I'm ready for the deep end. teacher · teachful · teachless
  3. Please shut the door ______ during the test. quietness · quietful · quietly

Every print draws a fresh mix of sentences at this level, so a make-up test or a second sibling gets a different sheet.

What's on each sheet

Every version prints on US Letter or A4, with its answer key on the last page.

How to teach this

Anchor each suffix to one plain meaning and one example your child owns: -ful is full of (a joyful baby), -less is without (a treeless desert), -er is the person who does it (a baker bakes). Then flip it: say a definition ("a person who paints") and let them build the word.

Watch for: -ful and -less are opposites on the same base: hopeful means full of hope, hopeless means without it. A suffix can change a word's job in the sentence: teach is an action, teacher is a person.

Common questions about suffixes

Which suffixes come first?
The five with pictures built in: -ful, -less, -er, -ly, and -y. They attach to words 2nd graders already know (help, care, run, slow, mud) and each has one clear meaning. That transparency is what makes them the standard starting set.
What's the difference between -ful and -less?
They're opposites bolted onto the same base. Hopeful is full of hope; hopeless is without it. Kids enjoy flipping words back and forth, and the pair teaches the bigger idea that the ending carries real meaning.

Related worksheets

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One page, answer key included. A fresh version every time you click.

Aligned to Common Core L.2.4.c. Reviewed by the One More Sheet curriculum team. Content version 68, updated July 2026.