student asking question

What does the suffix "-wise" mean? In what circumstances could I use it?

teacher

Native speaker’s answer

Rebecca

The suffix "-wise" attaches to a noun with a hyphen to form an adjective or adverb that means "concerning" or "with respect to." Some are joined together officially, such as "clockwise" or "lengthwise." You can use it when you want to say something in regards to something. Ex: Lengthwise, the pool is quite small. Ex: Time-wise, we have to leave very early in the morning to get there. Ex: I'm really excited to visit there cafe-wise. I heard there are so many! Ex: It feels like summer, but season-wise it's actually the middle of autumn.

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