Words with the suffix -tion
-tion means “act, process, or state of”, from Latin -tio, -tionis via Old French -tion. It makes a word into a noun.
16 examples of the suffix -tion
- actionact + -tionprocess of acting or doing
- nationnasc- + -tionstate of being born together
- motionmov- + -tionact of moving
- stationsta- + -tionact or place of standing
- mentionment- + -tionact of calling to mind
- questionquer- + -tionact of seeking an answer
- inventioninvent + -tionact of inventing something new
- solutionsolv- + -tionact of dissolving or resolving
- collectioncollect + -tionact of gathering things together
- pollutionpollut- + -tionstate of being made impure
- directiondirect + -tionact of directing or guiding
- educationeducat- + -tionprocess of leading knowledge out
- constructionconstruct + -tionact of building something up
- constitutionconstitut- + -tionact of establishing a system
- hallucinationhallucinat- + -tionstate of perceiving things not real
Also: creation
How -tion works
The suffix '-tion' converts verbs or Latin verb stems into nouns denoting an act, process, or state, often with spelling adjustments such as dropping a final 'e' or shifting 'de-' to '-tion' (e.g., 'solve' → 'solution'). Variant spellings '-sion', '-ation', and '-ition' appear depending on the preceding sound or Latin origin but carry the same meaning.
Watch out: Words like 'fashion', 'ration', and 'cushion' end in '-tion' or '-ion' sounds but do not use the suffix with its act/process meaning; they are simple nouns whose endings are part of the root, not a productive suffix.
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
- -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
- -al · of
- -ance · action
- -ence · action
- -ive · tending to
- -ship · state
Questions people ask
What does the suffix -tion mean?
-tion means “act, process, or state of”. It comes from Latin -tio, -tionis via Old French -tion. The suffix '-tion' converts verbs or Latin verb stems into nouns denoting an act, process, or state, often with spelling adjustments such as dropping a final 'e' or shifting 'de-' to '-tion' (e.g., 'solve' → 'solution'). Variant spellings '-sion', '-ation', and '-ition' appear depending on the preceding sound or Latin origin but carry the same meaning.
What are some examples of words with the suffix -tion?
action, nation, motion, station, mention, question, invention, solution. The full list of 16 examples, with what each one literally means, is above.
Which words look like they have the suffix -tion but don’t?
Words like 'fashion', 'ration', and 'cushion' end in '-tion' or '-ion' sounds but do not use the suffix with its act/process meaning; they are simple nouns whose endings are part of the root, not a productive suffix.
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.