Words with the suffix -al
-al means “of, relating to, or characterized by”, from Latin -alis. It makes a word into an adjective or noun.
16 examples of the suffix -al
- naturalnature + -alof or relating to nature
- centralcenter + -alof or relating to a center
- musicalmusic + -alof or relating to music
- magicalmagic + -alof or relating to magic
- personalperson + -alof or relating to a person
- seasonalseason + -alof or relating to a season
- criminalcrime + -alof or relating to crime
- fictionalfiction + -alof or relating to fiction
- emotionalemotion + -alof or relating to emotion
- ationalnation + -alof or relating to a nation
- historicalhistory + -alof or relating to history
- territorialterritory + -alof or relating to territory
- ceremonialceremony + -alof or relating to ceremony
- dimensionaldimension + -alof or relating to dimensions
- gravitationalgravitation + -alof or relating to gravitation
Also: arrival
How -al works
The suffix '-al' typically converts nouns into adjectives (e.g., 'person' → 'personal'), sometimes with spelling adjustments such as dropping a final 'e' (e.g., 'nature' → 'natural') or changing 'y' to 'i' (e.g., 'history' → 'historical'). It has no assimilation variants like '-in' does, but it frequently combines with '-ion' to form '-ional', extending adjective formation from abstract nouns.
Watch out: Words like 'animal,' 'canal,' 'equal,' 'metal,' 'moral,' 'oval,' 'pedal,' 'real,' 'rival,' 'royal,' 'rural,' 'serial,' 'signal,' 'total,' and 'usual' look like they end in '-al' but their bases are not English roots modified by this suffix—they are borrowed whole from Latin or French.
To see suffixes combine with other parts, try the word dissector and root builder, or test yourself in the vocabulary quiz.
Other common suffixes
- -able · capable of
- -ible · capable of
- -tion · act
- -ness · state
- -ly · in a specified manner
- -er · one who performs an action
- -ment · result
- -ful · full of
- -less · without
- -ous · having the quality of
- -ity · state
- -ism · doctrine
- -ist · one who practices or believes in
- -ize · to make or cause to become
- -ance · action
- -ence · action
- -ive · tending to
- -ship · state
Questions people ask
What does the suffix -al mean?
-al means “of, relating to, or characterized by”. It comes from Latin -alis. The suffix '-al' typically converts nouns into adjectives (e.g., 'person' → 'personal'), sometimes with spelling adjustments such as dropping a final 'e' (e.g., 'nature' → 'natural') or changing 'y' to 'i' (e.g., 'history' → 'historical'). It has no assimilation variants like '-in' does, but it frequently combines with '-ion' to form '-ional', extending adjective formation from abstract nouns.
What are some examples of words with the suffix -al?
natural, central, musical, magical, personal, seasonal, criminal, fictional. The full list of 16 examples, with what each one literally means, is above.
Which words look like they have the suffix -al but don’t?
Words like 'animal,' 'canal,' 'equal,' 'metal,' 'moral,' 'oval,' 'pedal,' 'real,' 'rival,' 'royal,' 'rural,' 'serial,' 'signal,' 'total,' and 'usual' look like they end in '-al' but their bases are not English roots modified by this suffix—they are borrowed whole from Latin or French.
What is a suffix?
A suffix is a word part added to the end of a word. It often changes the part of speech: -ness turns the adjective kind into the noun kindness, and -ly turns quick into the adverb quickly.