-ish and -y

We can add the suffixes -ish and -y to words in informal contexts to make the reference sound deliberately vague and approximate.

We commonly use the suffix -ish when we refer to numbers, times and quantities:

Ok, I’ll come and collect you from your house at sevenish.

A:
How old do you think he is?

B:
Fortyish. Possibly older.

We can add -ish to adjectives, adverbs and prepositions:

A:
Is he tall, her new boyfriend?

B:
Well, tallish.

A:
Is it far from the supermarket?

B:
No, but it’s near the cinema, well, nearishto the cinema.

-ish and -y are not normally interchangeable. -ish is more common than -y and -y is principally used with colours (though not black or white):

What colour tie do you think goes with this shirt? The green one? Or should it be the bluey one?

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