-ful

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One common suffix added to a noun to make an adjective is -ful. Note that it is never written with a double '-l': it is always single. Two confusions may arise:

  • When the adjective receives the further suffix -ly to make an adverb, the resulting word always has a double '-l-', having one '-l' from '-ful' and another from '-ly'.
  • Some compound words (not adjectives) do end in -full. These are nouns of (approximate) measurement, such as 'spoon-full', and sometimes adjectives compounded from a noun indicating a mark or level together with the adjective full, as in brim-full, ~ 'full to the brim'.