What are comparatives and superlatives in English?

Are you feeling more confident or the most confused about comparatives and superlatives in English? Don't worry—this guide breaks it all down for you. With it, you'll soon be more excited and most certain about this topic!

In this post:

What are comparatives and superlatives in English?
How do you form comparatives and superlatives in English?
Irregular English comparatives and superlatives
Examples of comparatives and superlatives in English

What are comparatives and superlatives in English?

Comparatives and superlatives are kinds of adjectives, so they tell us something about a noun: Comparatives say that one thing is "more" of the adjective than something else, and superlatives say that one thing is "the most" of the adjective than everything else. They can be used in sentences like this:

Comparatives:

I need a smaller sweater.
Who is more scared?
That cake tastes better.

Superlatives:

She’s our youngest child.
This painting is the most beautiful.
We saw the tiniest mouse.

How to make comparatives and superlatives in English

There are two ways to make comparatives and superlatives in English, and adjectives are typically either in the first category or the second category.

Category 1: Add an ending (-er or -est). Most short adjectives are in this category (like new, soon, hot, sweet, etc).
Category 2: Add a word before the adjective (more or most).

Traditionally, English adjectives were either in the first category or in the second category, but you'll hear more and more English speakers treating short adjectives like they're in the second category. That means you'll often hear people use more and most, even for words that typically used to get the endings! So don't worry too much about which words are in Category 1… you can be flexible with this, too!

Category 1: English comparatives and superlatives with the -er and -est endings

Most short adjectives in English get the -er ending for the comparative form and the -est ending for the superlative form. Short adjectives are those with one syllable and two-syllable words that end with -y:

Adjective Comparative Superlative nice nicer nicest happy happier happiest cool cooler coolest new newer newest

Sometimes you'll have to change the spelling of the word a bit when you add the ending:

If the word already ends with an -e, you'll only add -r or -st so there aren't two ee in a row.
If the word ends with a -y, change it to an -i- and then add the ending.

Category 2: English comparatives and superlatives with more and most

For many longer English adjectives, you'll add a word before the adjective to make the comparative and superlative forms—and you won't add a different ending. This is even easier than the -er and -est endings!

Adjective Comparative Superlative interesting more interesting most interesting difficult more difficult most difficult casual more casual most casual annoying more annoying most annoying

A linguistic gray area: adjectives in both categories!

Some two-syllable adjectives can go either way: You might encounter them with Category 1 rules (-er/-est) or with Category 2 rules (more/most)! For these adjectives, there is quite a lot of variation across dialects, contexts, writing vs. speaking, and even personal preference. Be prepared to hear both options! Some examples are:

Adjective Category 1 option Category 2 option clever cleverer
cleverest more clever
most clever friendly friendlier
friendliest more friendly
most friendly narrow narrower
narrowest more narrow
most narrow pleasant pleasanter
pleasantest more pleasant
most pleasant gentle gentler
gentlest more gentle
most gentle handsome handsomer
handsomest more handsome
most handsome

Comparatives and superlatives in English: the exceptions

There are some exceptions to the rule when it comes to superlatives in English, but luckily, they are some of the most common adjectives! You'll get lots of practice with them:

Adjective Comparative Superlative good better best bad worse worst much more most little less least far farther farthest – elder eldest

Note that the comparative elder and the superlative eldest don't have a plain adjective form: These are special adjectives that are only used to describe the ages of people, especially siblings and family members. So you might hear oldest sibling or eldest sibling, but they mean the same thing.

Examples of comparatives and superlatives in English

Once you've got the right comparative or superlative form, you're ready to use it in a sentence!

Here are some tips for using comparatives and superlatives:

Remember that many English adjectives will get an ending in their new form. This ending shows whether the new form is a comparative or a superlative.
In English, adjectives go before the noun they describe, and the same will be true with comparatives and superlatives.
To say what you're comparing something to, use than.
You'll use the before the superlative adjective.

Examples of comparative adjectives in English

Adjective Example sentence silly Our dog is sillier than our cat. hard It is harder to balance on my left foot. exciting This weekend will be more exciting because my brother is visiting! professional His Instagram is more professional than his TikTok.

Examples of superlative adjectives in English

Adjective Example sentence strange This is the strangest movie I've ever seen! new The newest podcast episode is my favorite. delicious Our roommate cooks the most delicious curry. organized We're the most organized group in class.

The best way to learn a language is to have fun with it!

When you're just starting out learning English, focus on just a couple of adjectives to learn their comparative and superlative forms—maybe the ones that describe you and the people you know! Look for them in your lessons and in all the ways you practice, like while watching movies and listening to music. As you learn more and more adjectives, you'll get better at using these patterns!