AR – ER – OR

This KEY is the Suffix which has three spellings, AR – ER – OR Meaning ONE WHO & THAT WHICH. This is one of the simplest keys to remember and you will see a great deal of it. It is listed so that you will become accustomed to seeking words, not as one lump to be swallowed whole, but as a combination of keys which are to be recognized separately.



1. doctor- doct OR (dok’ tor) n

One who is learned, especially in medicine.


2. baker- bak ER (bake’ er) n

One who bakes.


3. actor- act OR (ak’ tor) n

One who acts a part in a play or in an event.


4. fighter- fight ER (fite’ er) n

One who fights.


5. beggar- begg AR (beg’ ar) n

One who begs.


6. dancer- danc ER (dan’ ser) n

One who dances.


7. jester- jest ER (jes’ ter) n

One who tells jokes.


8. killer- kill ER (kil’ er) n

One who kills.


9. liar- li AR (lie’ er) n

One who tells lies.


10. miser- mis ER (mize’ er) n

One who lives miserably in order to hoard money.


11. toiler- toil ER (roil’ er) n

One who works hard.


12. tractor- tract OR (trak’ ter) n

A machine used on the farm for drawing a plow.


13. barber- barb ER (bar’ ber) n

One whose work is to give shaves and haircuts.


14. wrecker- wreck ER (rek’ er) n

Machinery used to break down buildings and remove the wreckage.


15. painter- paint ER (pane’ ter) n

One who paints.


16. sufferer- suffer ET (sub’ ere r) n

One who suffers, especially from a disease.


17. exhibitor- exhibit OR (eg zib’ it or) n

One who shows things to the public, as art.


18. racer- rac ER (rase’ er) n

One who races in a sport event.


19. amplifier- ampilifi ER (am’ pil fie er) n

That which magnifies a sound, a loud speaker.


20. pacifier- pacifi ER (pas’ i fie er) n

That which quiets, like a ring for babies to such or bite on.

Etymology Index

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