The suffix -ant/-ent can attach to verbs to create adjectives and nouns. The forms -ant and -ent are variants of the same suffix. They occur in many English words.
The words different and persistent are adjectives. They are formed from the verbs differ and persist. Other adjectives are important and observant. These are formed from the verbs import and observe.
These suffixes can also be used to form nouns. Examples include assistant and servant with -ant and resident and student with -ent. They are formed from the verbs assist, serve, reside and study.
The spelling dependent is used for the adjective, and dependant is used for the person. It is possible to say that dependants are dependent on those who look after them. Both words are formed from the verb depend.
The affix -ant/-ent is very useful in English. To indicate that -ant and -ent are variants of one suffix, we can use -Vnt to indicate the underlying form. The suffix is a type of affix that is attached to the end of words. It is not necessary to specify the vowel because it can be either. Though they have different forms, the two variants are pronounced the same because the affix is always unstressed and the vowel is a schwa.
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