suffering, suffrage, sufferance

Suffering or suffering means misery, pain or distress--
Doctor, can you give him something to ease his suffering?
The accident caused a lot of suffering, both physical and emotional.

Suffering is also a participle of the verb ( action word ) "suffer", meaning to feel pain or misery; to undergo or to be subjected to [ something ], physically or psychically--
He is suffering from a broken leg, and won't be able to play.
He is still suffering the effects of a stroke; he forgets things.
He won't come out with us; he claims he's suffering from a broken heart.

Suffering is a participle of the verb "suffer", which may also mean to put up with or permit--
He never was known for suffering fools gladly.
He has been suffering too much bad behavior; the children need some discipline.

Suffrage or suffrage means the vote, or the right to vote--
My grandmother could remember the movement for women's suffrage, in the 1900's.
Suffrage was once reserved for property owners.

Sufferance or sufferance means forbearance or toleration--
The campers were here on our sufferance, but now they want our permission to come back next year.
This was done on our sufferance, if not with our permission, and we'll have to do something about it.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"On our sufferance the women agitated for suffrage, and now we are suffering at the polls."