What are the most common Italian suffixes?

For altering words: -ino, -etto, -ello, and -uccio (small or cute), -one (big), and -accio (bad or unpleasant). For building new words: -ista and -tore / -trice (people), -aio (trades), -eria (shops), and -ezza and -ità (abstract nouns such as bellezza and felicità).

Can I add -ino to any Italian word?

No. Which suffixes go with which words is fixed by use. Gattino and tavolino are normal, but many other combinations simply do not exist or sound odd. Learn the common forms as vocabulary before you create new ones.

Why does -one change the gender of a noun?

The suffix -one is masculine, and with many feminine nouns it brings the masculine gender with it: la porta, il portone; la finestra, il finestrone. With people, the feminine -ona also exists: una donna, una donnona.

What is the difference between -ino and -etto?

Both mean small, and often only one of them is used with a given word. Gattino and fratellino take -ino, casetta and cameretta take -etto. -ino tends to sound more affectionate. There is no rule that tells you which one a word takes.

Is a libreria a library?

No. Libreria means bookshop, because -eria is the suffix for shops, as in pizzeria and gelateria. A library is una biblioteca. Libreria can also mean a bookcase at home.

Italian grammar · Intermediate

Italian Suffixes

Written by Parrot Italian Team, Italian Curriculum Editors · Reviewed October 2026

Italian suffixes are endings added to a word to change its meaning. The most typical ones make a noun smaller (-ino, -etto, -ello), bigger (-one), or worse (-accio), so gatto becomes gattino (kitten) and parola becomes parolaccia (swear word). Others build new words, such as -ista for people (dentista) and -eria for shops (gelateria). English does this with separate words such as little, big, or nasty.

Il gattino dorme sotto il tavolino.

The kitten is sleeping under the little table.

What it is

Italian grammar calls these endings suffissi alterativi: they alter a word without changing its basic meaning. A casetta is still a house, only a small one. Diminutives (-ino, -etto, -ello, -uccio) add smallness or affection, augmentatives (-one) add size, and pejoratives (-accio) add a negative feeling. A second group of suffixes builds new words: -ista, -tore, -eria, -ezza, -ità.

casa → casetta (little house), libro → librone (big book), tempo → tempaccio (awful weather).

How to spot it

Remove the final vowel of the word and add the suffix. The suffix then takes the gender and number endings: gattino, gattina, gattini, gattine.

fratello → fratellino (brother → little brother)
camera → cameretta (bedroom → small bedroom, child's room)
naso → nasone (nose → big nose)
giornata → giornataccia (day → terrible day)

Not every noun takes every suffix. The combinations are set by use, so learn the common ones as words rather than building new ones freely.

Suffixes Quick Reference

The most common Italian suffixes

Suffix	Meaning	Example	English
-ino / -ina	small, cute	gattino	kitten
-etto / -etta	small	casetta	little house
-ello / -ella	small, endearing	alberello	little tree
-uccio / -uccia	small, affectionate	calduccio	cosy warmth
-one / -ona	big	librone	big book
-accio / -accia	bad, ugly, unpleasant	parolaccia	swear word
-ista	person who does something	pianista	pianist
-tore / -trice	person who does something	scrittore / scrittrice	writer (male / female)
-eria	shop	gelateria	ice-cream shop
-ezza / -ità	quality (abstract noun)	bellezza / felicità	beauty / happiness

Common Suffixes Examples in Italian

Suffixes in everyday Italian:

Diminutives

Abbiamo un gattino nero.: We have a little black kitten.
Aspetta un attimino.: Wait just a moment.
Sto un pochino meglio.: I'm feeling a little better.

Diminutives are very common in friendly speech. Un attimino and un momentino sound softer than un attimo.

Augmentatives

Ho letto un librone di mille pagine.: I read a huge book of a thousand pages.
Il portone è chiuso.: The main door is closed.

Many nouns in -one have their own meaning: il portone is the main door of a building, not just a big door.

Pejoratives

Oggi ho avuto una giornataccia.: I had a terrible day today.
Non dire parolacce.: Don't swear.

Parolaccia (swear word) is so common that most learners meet it before they meet the suffix.

New Words: People and Shops

Mio fratello fa il dentista.: My brother is a dentist.
Andiamo in gelateria?: Shall we go to the ice-cream shop?
La libreria è chiusa, ma la biblioteca è aperta.: The bookshop is closed, but the library is open.

Libreria is a bookshop, not a library. A library is una biblioteca.

How Italian Suffixes Attach

The mechanics are simple. The hard part is knowing which combinations Italians actually use.

Drop the Final Vowel, Add the Suffix

Remove the last vowel of the noun or adjective and add the suffix: gatto, gatt-, gattino. Words that end in a stressed vowel or a consonant rarely take these suffixes.

Il gattino dorme sul divano.

The kitten is sleeping on the sofa.

gatt(o) + ino.

The Suffix Carries Gender and Number

The suffix has its own endings for masculine, feminine, singular, and plural, and it keeps the gender of the original word: ragazza, ragazzina, ragazzine.

Le ragazzine giocano in giardino.

The little girls are playing in the garden.

-ina, -ine for feminine nouns.

Keep the Hard Sound With H

Words ending in -co, -ca, -go, -ga add an h before a suffix that starts with e or i, so the c or g stays hard: barca, barchetta; lago, laghetto; poco, pochino.

Hanno una barchetta al lago.

They have a little boat at the lake.

barca → barchetta, not barcetta.

-One Often Makes a Feminine Noun Masculine

Many feminine nouns become masculine with -one: la porta, il portone; la finestra, il finestrone. The article and any adjectives change with it.

Il portone del palazzo è aperto.

The main door of the building is open.

la porta → il portone.

Adjectives and Adverbs Take Suffixes Too

Suffixes also attach to adjectives and adverbs to soften them: piccolo, piccolino; bene, benino (fairly well); bene, benone (really well). Carino (cute, nice) started as a diminutive of caro and is now a word of its own.

Come va? Benone, grazie.

How's it going? Really well, thanks.

benino = so so, benone = great.

Common Mistakes with Suffixes

Incorrect: Abbiamo una barcetta. (We have a little boat.)

Correct: Abbiamo una barchetta. (We have a little boat.)

Without the h, the c before e becomes the ch sound of church. The h keeps the hard k sound of barca.

Incorrect: La portone è chiusa. (The main door is closed.)

Correct: Il portone è chiuso. (The main door is closed.)

Porta is feminine, but portone is masculine. The article and the adjective must change too.

Incorrect: Prendo in prestito un libro in libreria. (I'm borrowing a book from the library.)

Correct: Prendo in prestito un libro in biblioteca. (I'm borrowing a book from the library.)

The suffix -eria names a shop, so a libreria sells books. The place where you borrow them is a biblioteca.

Words That Only Look Altered

Some common words end in -ino, -one, or -accio but are not small, big, or bad versions of anything. Read them as whole words.

False diminutives and augmentatives

These words look like a base word plus a suffix, but they have their own unrelated meaning.

il mattone: the brick (not a big matto, madman)
il burrone: the ravine (not a big burro, butter)
il tacchino: the turkey (not a small tacco, heel)
il postino: the postman (not a small posta, mail)
il lampone: the raspberry (not a big lampo, flash)

If a suffixed word seems strange in context, check a dictionary. It may be a separate word.

Suffixes that build new words

These suffixes do not alter a word. They create a new one with a new meaning, often a person, a place, or an idea.

il fornaio: the baker (forno, oven)
la macelleria: the butcher's shop
l'attore, l'attrice: the actor, the actress
la tristezza: sadness (triste, sad)

Nouns in -ista have one form for both genders: il turista, la turista.

Quick Check: Suffixes

Add the suffix or say what the word means.

1. Make a diminutive with -ino: tavolo

Answer: tavolino

A small table, often a coffee table.

2. Make a diminutive with -etto: lago

Answer: laghetto

Add h to keep the g hard.

3. Make an augmentative with -one: libro

Answer: librone

A big, heavy book.

4. What does tempaccio mean?

Answer: awful weather

Tempo + -accio, a pejorative.

5. Is tacchino a small tacco?

Answer: No, it means turkey.

A false diminutive.

Suffixes FAQs

What are the most common Italian suffixes?: For altering words: -ino, -etto, -ello, and -uccio (small or cute), -one (big), and -accio (bad or unpleasant). For building new words: -ista and -tore / -trice (people), -aio (trades), -eria (shops), and -ezza and -ità (abstract nouns such as bellezza and felicità).
Can I add -ino to any Italian word?: No. Which suffixes go with which words is fixed by use. Gattino and tavolino are normal, but many other combinations simply do not exist or sound odd. Learn the common forms as vocabulary before you create new ones.
Why does -one change the gender of a noun?: The suffix -one is masculine, and with many feminine nouns it brings the masculine gender with it: la porta, il portone; la finestra, il finestrone. With people, the feminine -ona also exists: una donna, una donnona.
What is the difference between -ino and -etto?: Both mean small, and often only one of them is used with a given word. Gattino and fratellino take -ino, casetta and cameretta take -etto. -ino tends to sound more affectionate. There is no rule that tells you which one a word takes.
Is a libreria a library?: No. Libreria means bookshop, because -eria is the suffix for shops, as in pizzeria and gelateria. A library is una biblioteca. Libreria can also mean a bookcase at home.