Superlative Adjectives (the biggest, the most)
A superlative adjective picks one thing out of three or more as the top of the group. Use the + -est for short adjectives (the biggest) or the most before longer ones (the most expensive): Everest is the highest mountain.
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Level: A2. A superlative adjective names the one that is top of the group — the tallest, the cheapest, the most useful. You build it much like the comparative, but with -est or the most, and you almost always put the in front.
The rule
An adjective describes a noun (tall, cheap, useful). A superlative is the form you use to pick out one thing from a group of three or more: Of all the players, she is the tallest. English builds it in two ways, and, as with comparatives, the choice depends on the number of syllables.
1. Short adjectives: the + -est. For one-syllable adjectives (and most two-syllable adjectives ending in -y), add -est and put the in front:
- old → the oldest
- cheap → the cheapest
- happy → the happiest
2. Longer adjectives: the most. For adjectives of two or more syllables, keep the adjective unchanged and use the most:
- careful → the most careful
- expensive → the most expensive
- interesting → the most interesting
3. Nearly always the. A superlative names the single top one, so it is specific — that is why it takes the: the best, the fastest, the most famous. You can replace the with a possessive (my best friend, her tallest son), but you cannot drop the determiner entirely.
A syllable is a beat in a word: big has one, hap-py has two, ex-pen-sive has three. The same count that chose -er or more now chooses -est or the most.
Spelling and forms
| Adjective type | How to form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| One syllable | the + -est | cheap → the cheapest |
| One syllable, ends consonant + e | add -st only | nice → the nicest |
| One syllable, single vowel + consonant | double the consonant, add -est | big → the biggest, hot → the hottest |
| Two syllables ending in -y | change y → i, add -est | happy → the happiest, easy → the easiest |
| Two or more syllables | the most + adjective | the most modern, the most careful |
| Irregular | learn by heart | good → the best, bad → the worst, far → the furthest/farthest |
Example sentences
- She is the tallest in the class.tall → the tallest, group marked with 'in'.
- This is the cheapest phone in the shop.cheap → the cheapest.
- July is the hottest month here.Double the consonant: hot → the hottest.
- That was the happiest day of my life.-y word: happy → the happiest.
- It is the biggest city in the country.Double the consonant: big → the biggest.
- He is the fastest runner on the team.fast → the fastest.
- This is the nicest hotel we have tried.Ends in -e: nice → the nicest.
- That was the easiest question on the test.easy → the easiest.
- It is the most expensive watch in the window.Long adjective: the most expensive.
- This is the most interesting book I own.the most interesting.
- She is the most careful driver I know.the most careful.
- That is the most useful app on my phone.the most useful.
- This is the most comfortable chair in the house.the most comfortable.
- He is the best student in the group.Irregular: good → the best.
- That was the worst film of the year.Irregular: bad → the worst.
- It is the furthest point from the city.Irregular: far → the furthest.
- December has the shortest days.short → the shortest.
- This is the most difficult part of the exam.the most difficult.
- The lion is the strongest animal here.strong → the strongest.
- She is the youngest of the three sisters.young → the youngest, group marked with 'of'.
Common mistakes
- ❌ She is tallest in the class. → ✅ She is the tallest in the class. A superlative needs the (or a possessive).
- ❌ the most biggest → ✅ the biggest. Never use the most with an -est form; mark it once.
- ❌ the goodest → ✅ the best. Good is irregular; its superlative is the best.
- ❌ It is the expensivest shop. → ✅ It is the most expensive shop. Long adjectives take the most, not -est.
- ❌ the baddest result → ✅ the worst result. Bad is irregular: the worst.
- ❌ She is the taller of the three. → ✅ She is the tallest of the three. Three or more needs the superlative, not the comparative.
A short conversation
A: Which is the best café near here? B: The one on the corner is the cheapest, but it’s also the busiest. A: And the quietest? B: Probably the little one upstairs — it has the most comfortable chairs too.
Usage notes
- In for places, of for sets. Mark the group with in before a place or organisation (the tallest in the world, the best in the class) and of before a plural or a number (the youngest of the three, the best of all).
- One of the + superlative + plural. A very common pattern is one of the + superlative + plural noun: It is one of the biggest cities in Asia. The noun is plural even though you mean a single example.
- Ever. Add ever for emphasis with the present perfect: It is the best film I have ever seen.
- Second, third. To rank below the top, add an ordinal after the: the second largest country, the third tallest building.
Compared with…
- Comparatives. The superlative picks one out of three or more (the tallest of all); the comparative compares exactly two (taller than you). Use the … -est / the most for the group, and -er / more … than for a pair. See Comparative Adjectives.
Quick recap before you practise.
Practice
Superlatives practice
Try each one, then press Check. No sign-up, nothing is sent anywhere — it all runs in your browser.
Hint: -y becomes -iest
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happiest — Two-syllable -y adjectives change y to i and add -est: the happiest.
Hint: long adjective
Show answer
most — Expensive is long, so use the most: the most expensive.
4 Put the words in order.
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She is the youngest in the class — the + -est for a short word, and 'in' marks the place/group.
5 Match each adjective to its superlative.
- good
- bad
- big
- modern
Show answer
- good → the best
- bad → the worst
- big → the biggest
- modern → the most modern
Good and bad are irregular; big doubles the g; modern is long, so it takes the most.
Quiz
Superlatives quiz
12 questions · pick an answer and you'll see straight away if it's right.
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three or more — The superlative chooses the top of a group of three or more; two things take the comparative.
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highest — High is short, so add -est: the highest.
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most — Expensive is a long adjective, so use the most.
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the best — Good is irregular: the best.
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the worst — Bad is irregular: the worst.
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She is the tallest in the class. — A superlative almost always needs 'the': the tallest.
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the hottest — A single vowel + consonant doubles the consonant: the hottest.
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the easiest — Change y to i, then add -est: the easiest.
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in — Use 'in' before a place or organisation: the best in the class.
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most — Interesting is a long adjective, so use the most.
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the most biggest — 'The most biggest' doubles the marker; use just 'the biggest'.
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biggest — The pattern is 'one of the + superlative + plural noun': the biggest cities.
Recap cheat-sheet
| Rule | Example |
|---|---|
| Short word: the + -est | the cheapest |
| Double consonant | the biggest |
| -y → -iest | the happiest |
| Long word: the most | the most expensive |
| Irregular | the best, the worst |
| Mark the group | the tallest in / of |
Next
- Review first: Comparative Adjectives
- Next topic: Going To: Plans and Predictions
- Back to the English grammar section
All English grammar topics
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Grammar path
A1 30 topics · 30 ready
- 01 Verb 'To Be' in the Present (am, is, are)
- 02 Subject Pronouns: I, You, He, She, It, We, They
- 03 Present Simple: Affirmative and the -s Ending
- 04 Present Simple: Negatives and Questions (do/does)
- 05 Articles: a / an and When to Use Each
- 06 The Definite Article 'The': When to Use It
- 07 Zero Article: When to Use No Article
- 08 Plural Nouns: Regular and Irregular Forms
- 09 This, That, These, Those (Demonstratives)
- 10 Possessive Adjectives: my, your, his, her
- 11 Possessive 's and s' (Showing Belonging)
- 12 There Is / There Are (Saying What Exists)
- 13 Have Got: Talking About Possession
- 14 Can and Can't for Ability
- 15 Present Continuous (am/is/are + -ing)
- 16 Imperatives: Giving Orders and Instructions
- 17 Adjectives: Position and Basic Use
- 18 Prepositions of Place: in, on, at
- 19 Prepositions of Time: in, on, at
- 20 Question Words: What, Where, When, Who, Why, How
- 21 How Much vs How Many
- 22 Countable and Uncountable Nouns
- 23 Some and Any: Which One to Use
- 24 Object Pronouns: me, you, him, her, us, them
- 25 Adverbs of Frequency and Their Position
- 26 Like, Love, Hate + -ing (Expressing Preferences)
- 27 Would Like: Polite Wants and Offers
- 28 Making Requests: Can, Could, May I
- 29 Past Simple of 'To Be' (was / were)
- 30 Let's and Shall We: Making Suggestions
A2 25 topics · 25 ready
- 31 Past Simple: Regular Verbs and -ed Spelling
- 32 Past Simple: Irregular Verbs (go, see, have)
- 33 Past Simple: Negatives and Questions (did)
- 34 Comparative Adjectives (bigger, more expensive)
- 35 Superlative Adjectives (the biggest, the most) You are here
- 36 Going To: Plans and Predictions
- 37 Will: Predictions, Decisions and Offers
- 38 Present Continuous for Future Arrangements
- 39 Present Perfect for Experience (ever / never)
- 40 Present Perfect with just, already, yet
- 41 Present Perfect vs Past Simple
- 42 Have To and Don't Have To (Obligation)
- 43 Should and Shouldn't for Advice
- 44 Could: Past Ability and Polite Use
- 45 Much, Many, A Lot Of
- 46 A Few, A Little, Few, Little
- 47 Adverbs of Manner (quickly, well, hard)
- 48 Verb + -ing or Verb + to (Introduction)
- 49 Zero Conditional (Facts and Rules)
- 50 First Conditional (Real Future Possibility)
- 51 Prepositions of Movement (to, into, through)
- 52 Possessive Pronouns: mine, yours, hers
- 53 Past Continuous (was/were + -ing)
- 54 Too and Enough (Degree)
- 55 Order of Adjectives Before a Noun
B1 27 topics · 27 ready
- 56 Past Continuous vs Past Simple
- 57 Used To and Would for Past Habits
- 58 Present Perfect Continuous (have been -ing)
- 59 Present Perfect: Simple vs Continuous
- 60 Past Perfect (had + past participle)
- 61 Second Conditional (Unreal Present/Future)
- 62 Third Conditional (Unreal Past)
- 63 Reported Speech: Statements (Backshift)
- 64 Reported Questions
- 65 Reported Commands and Requests
- 66 Passive Voice: Present and Past Simple
- 67 Must and Mustn't (Strong Obligation)
- 68 May, Might, Could for Possibility
- 69 Defining Relative Clauses (who, which, that)
- 70 Non-Defining Relative Clauses (with commas)
- 71 Gerunds and Infinitives: Full Verb Patterns
- 72 Verbs Where -ing vs to Changes Meaning
- 73 Future Continuous (will be -ing)
- 74 So and Such (Emphasis)
- 75 As...As Comparisons (equality)
- 76 Question Tags (isn't it? do you?)
- 77 Phrasal Verbs: Separable and Inseparable
- 78 Linking Words: because, so, although, but
- 79 Infinitive of Purpose (to / in order to)
- 80 Indirect Questions (Can you tell me...)
- 81 Make, Let, Allow, Help (Causatives Intro)
- 82 Be Used To and Get Used To (+ -ing)
B2 25 topics · 25 ready
- 83 Narrative Tenses for Storytelling
- 84 Past Perfect Continuous (had been -ing)
- 85 Mixed Conditionals
- 86 Wish and If Only (Regrets and Wishes)
- 87 Wish/If Only + would (Complaints)
- 88 Passive Voice: All Tenses and Modals
- 89 Reporting Passive (It is said that / is said to)
- 90 Causative: Have/Get Something Done
- 91 Reduced Relative Clauses (Participles)
- 92 Modals of Deduction: Present and Past
- 93 Needn't Have vs Didn't Need To
- 94 Future Perfect (will have done)
- 95 Participle Clauses (-ing / -ed / having done)
- 96 Advanced Comparatives (far/much + er, the more)
- 97 Conditional Alternatives: unless, as long as, provided
- 98 Advanced Determiners: each, every, either, neither
- 99 Intensifiers and Adverbs of Degree
- 100 Advanced Contrast: despite, in spite of, however
- 101 Advanced Linkers: therefore, moreover, consequently
- 102 Advanced Article Use (generalisations, names)
- 103 Verb + Preposition and Adjective + Preposition
- 104 Relative Clauses: whose, where, when, quantifier + whom
- 105 Subject-Verb Agreement: Tricky Cases
- 106 Emphatic Do (I do like it)
- 107 Would for Past Habits (Formal Narrative)
C1 18 topics · 18 ready
- 108 Inversion with Negative Adverbials
- 109 Inversion in Conditionals (Had I known)
- 110 Cleft Sentences (It was... / What I need is...)
- 111 Fronting and Emphasis (Word Order)
- 112 Subjunctive and Mandative (I suggest he be)
- 113 Ellipsis and Substitution (so, do, one)
- 114 Hedging and Cautious Language
- 115 Nominalisation (Academic Noun Style)
- 116 Advanced Discourse Markers (Spoken & Written)
- 117 Advanced Passive (passive + infinitive, get-passive)
- 118 Advanced Comparative Structures (no sooner...than)
- 119 Future in the Past (was going to / would)
- 120 Advanced Modals (may well, might as well, would rather)
- 121 Advanced Reported Speech (Reporting Verbs + Patterns)
- 122 Advanced and Idiomatic Phrasal Verbs
- 123 Collocation and Colligation (Natural Combinations)
- 124 Advanced Concession (much as, whatever, however + adj)
- 125 Absolute and Non-Finite Clauses (Formal)