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Word Study · Comparing suffixes

Comparing Words: -er, -est, More and Most

Learn when to add -er or -est, how to spell bigger, nicer and happiest, why good becomes better and best, and when to use more and most with longer words.

Grades 3–5 · 15 practice questions · Original material
Learning objectiveUse -er to compare two things and -est to compare three or more, spell the new words with the four rules (just add, double the last consonant, drop the e, change y to i), learn the irregular forms better, best, worse and worst, and choose more or most for longer words.

The idea

In the suffixes lesson you saw that an ending can change the job of a word. The endings -er and -est have one special job: they help you compare. Taller compares two things: The maple is taller than the fence. Tallest compares three or more: It is the tallest tree in the park.

Most of the time you just add the ending: tall, taller, tallest; green, greener, greenest. But four spelling rules can change the base word, just like the plural rules did.

Rule 1: if the word ends in one vowel and one consonant, double the consonant: big, bigger, biggest; hot, hotter, hottest. Rule 2: if the word ends in e, drop that e before adding -er or -est: nice, nicer, nicest; safe, safer, safest. Rule 3: if the word ends in a consonant + y, change y to i: happy, happier, happiest; busy, busier, busiest.

Rule 4 is for longer words. Many words with two syllables, and all words with three or more, use more and most instead of an ending: more careful, most important, most interesting. Never use both at once. More harder is a mistake; say harder.

A few common words are irregular and must be learned by heart: good, better, best and bad, worse, worst. There is no gooder or baddest in standard English.

Word bank

taller

comparative adjective · TAW-lur

tall + -er: more tall; compares two things. Just add -er

Example: The maple is taller than the fence.

tallest

superlative adjective · TAW-lust

tall + -est: the most tall in a group of three or more

Example: The CN Tower is the tallest building in our photo.

greener

comparative adjective · GREE-nur

green + -er; two vowels come before the n, so do not double it

Example: The grass is greener after the rain.

bigger

comparative adjective · BIG-ur

big + -er; one vowel and one consonant at the end, so double the g

Example: My backpack is bigger than yours.

biggest

superlative adjective · BIG-ust

big + -est; double the g

Example: That is the biggest pumpkin at the farm.

hotter

comparative adjective · HOT-ur

hot + -er; double the t

Example: July is hotter than May.

wetter

comparative adjective · WET-ur

wet + -er; double the t

Example: My left boot got wetter than my right one.

nicer

comparative adjective · NICE-ur

nice + -er; the word already ends in e, so add only -r

Example: Today is nicer than yesterday.

safest

superlative adjective · SAYF-ust

safe + -est; drop the final e and add -est

Example: The crosswalk is the safest place to cross.

happier

comparative adjective · HAP-ee-ur

happy + -er; change y to i, then add -er

Example: Our class seemed happier after recess.

happiest

superlative adjective · HAP-ee-ust

happy + -est; change y to i, then add -est

Example: That was the happiest day of the trip.

busier

comparative adjective · BIZ-ee-ur

busy + -er; change y to i

Example: The library is busier on Saturdays.

earliest

superlative adjective · UR-lee-ust

early + -est; change y to i

Example: The earliest bus leaves at 7:10.

better

irregular comparative · BET-ur

the comparing form of good (not gooder)

Example: Your second draft is better than your first.

best

irregular superlative · BEST

the most good in a group (not goodest)

Example: This is the best snow fort on the street.

worse

irregular comparative · WURSS

the comparing form of bad (not badder)

Example: The traffic was worse in the snow.

worst

irregular superlative · WURST

the most bad in a group (not baddest)

Example: That was the worst cold I've ever had.

more careful

comparative phrase · MOR KAIR-ful

use more, not -er, with many longer words such as careful

Example: Be more careful on the icy steps.

most important

superlative phrase · MOHST im-POR-tunt

use most, not -est, with long words such as important

Example: The most important rule is to stay with your group.

Worked examples

Example 1 · Two or more than two?

Choose: "Of the three kittens, Pepper is the (smaller / smallest)."

  1. Count what is being compared: three kittens.
  2. Three or more things take -est.
  3. Small just takes the ending, with no spelling change.

smallest

Example 2 · Double the consonant

Add -er to thin.

  1. Look at the end of thin: one vowel (i) and one consonant (n).
  2. That pattern means double the last consonant.
  3. thin → thinn + er.

thinner

Example 3 · Drop the e

Add -est to large.

  1. Large ends in e.
  2. Drop the e so you do not get two e's.
  3. large → larg + est.

largest

Example 4 · Change y to i

Add -er to funny.

  1. Funny ends in a consonant (n) + y.
  2. Change the y to i.
  3. funni + er.

funnier

Example 5 · Ending or more?

Choose: "This puzzle is (more difficult / difficulter) than the last one."

  1. Difficult has three syllables: dif-fi-cult.
  2. Long words take more or most, not an ending.
  3. Two puzzles are compared, so use more.

more difficult

Common mistakes

Using -est when only two things are compared: "My sister is the tallest of us two."

Why this fails: Two things take -er: My sister is the taller of us two, or My sister is taller than me.

Forgetting to double the consonant: "biger", "hoter".

Why this fails: Big and hot end in one vowel and one consonant, so the last letter doubles: bigger, hotter.

Keeping the y: "happyer", "easyest".

Why this fails: When a word ends in a consonant + y, change y to i before the ending: happier, easiest.

Using more and -er together: "more bigger", "most funniest".

Why this fails: Use one or the other. Short words take the ending (bigger); long words take more or most (more careful).

Writing "gooder" or "baddest".

Why this fails: Good and bad are irregular: good, better, best and bad, worse, worst.

Foundation

Foundation practice

Pick the right ending and spell the new word.

Choose

1. Which word compares TWO things?

  1. tallest
  2. taller
  3. most tall
  4. tall
Spell it

2. Add -er to big.

  1. bigger
  2. biger
  3. bigeer
  4. biggr
Spell it

3. Add -est to safe.

  1. safeest
  2. safist
  3. saffest
  4. safest
Spell it

4. Add -er to happy.

  1. happyer
  2. happer
  3. happiest
  4. happier
Choose

5. What is the comparing form of good?

  1. gooder
  2. better
  3. more good
  4. best

Practice

Practice practice

Decide between -er and -est, and between endings and more/most.

-er or -est?

6. "Of all the hills in the park, this one is the ___."

  1. steeper
  2. most steep
  3. steepest
  4. more steeper
-er or -est?

7. "My sister is ___ than me."

  1. older
  2. oldest
  3. most old
  4. olderer
Ending or more/most?

8. "This is the ___ book I have read this year."

  1. interestingest
  2. most interesting
  3. more interesting
  4. interestinger
Fix it

9. Which sentence is correct?

  1. My cold was badder today.
  2. My cold was more bad today.
  3. My cold was worst today than yesterday.
  4. My cold was worse today than yesterday.
Spell it

10. Write the -er and -est forms of hot.

Spell it

11. Write the -er and -est forms of busy.

Think

Think practice

Explain the rule, not just the answer.

Explain

12. Why does big become bigger, but green becomes greener with only one n?

Spot the error

13. Which sentence has a mistake?

  1. Today is colder than yesterday.
  2. She is the fastest runner on the team.
  3. This puzzle is more harder than that one.
  4. The library is busier on Saturdays.
Choose

14. How many things are being compared in "Toronto is the largest city in Ontario"?

  1. one
  2. two
  3. three or more
  4. none
Build it

15. Write a sentence comparing two things with -er and a sentence comparing three or more things with -est.

Answer key

  1. 1. taller
    -er compares two things: The maple is taller than the fence. Tallest is for three or more, and most tall is not how we say it.
  2. 2. bigger
    Big ends in one vowel and one consonant, so double the g before adding -er. Biger keeps a single g, which would change the vowel sound.
  3. 3. safest
    Safe already ends in e, so drop the e and add -est. Safeest keeps two e's, and saffest doubles a letter that should not be doubled.
  4. 4. happier
    When a word ends in a consonant + y, change y to i and add -er. Happyer keeps the y, happer drops it, and happiest is the -est form.
  5. 5. better
    Good is irregular: good, better, best. Gooder and more good are not standard English, and best is for three or more.
  6. 6. steepest
    'Of all the hills' means three or more, so use -est: steepest. Steeper compares only two, most steep is not used for this short word, and more steeper uses both forms at once.
  7. 7. older
    Than tells you two people are being compared, so use -er: older. Oldest is for a group of three or more.
  8. 8. most interesting
    Interesting is a long word, so it takes most, not -est. More interesting compares only two things.
  9. 9. My cold was worse today than yesterday.
    Bad is irregular: bad, worse, worst. Badder and more bad are not standard, and worst is for three or more, not with than.
  10. 10. hotter, hottest
    Hot ends in one vowel and one consonant, so double the t: hotter, hottest.
  11. 11. busier, busiest
    Busy ends in a consonant + y, so change y to i: busier, busiest.
  12. 12. Big has one vowel (i) before its last consonant, so the g doubles. Green has two vowels (ee) before the n, so the n is not doubled.
    Double the last consonant only after a single short vowel, as in big, hot and wet.
  13. 13. This puzzle is more harder than that one.
    Use either -er or more, never both. Say harder, not more harder. The other three sentences are correct.
  14. 14. three or more
    Largest uses -est, which compares one thing with all the others in a group: every city in Ontario. Two things would take -er: larger.
  15. 15. Example: My scarf is warmer than my hat. This is the warmest coat in the store.
    Use than with -er for two things, and the with -est for a whole group.

Related practice

Plurals: -s, -es or y to iSuffixes -ful, -less and -nessEnglish hub