fieldwork
/ˈfildwɝk/noun
fieldwork is spelled F-I-E-L-D-W-O-R-K: 9 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 30,418th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). People search “field work vs fieldwork” about 10 times a month (Google, United States). As a noun, fieldwork means “Work done out in the fields as opposed to that done elsewhere on the farm (e.g., barn, house, outbuildings, office)” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of fieldwork is fieldworks.
How many letters and syllables are in fieldwork?
| Letters | 9: F-I-E-L-D-W-O-R-K |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 1 million words; the 30,418th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Pairs people search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); Bing searches in the United States: the average month from September 2025 to August 2026 (Microsoft Advertising keyword data through DataForSEO, read September 30, 2026).
How common is fieldwork?
Fieldwork appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 30,418th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce fieldwork?
- UK /ˈfiːldwɜːk/
- US /ˈfildwɝk/
Fieldwork has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Flame,_not_lame-fieldwork.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with fieldwork
Word pairs people search, with the monthly searches for “a vs b” (G: Google, B: Bing, United States).
Also written: field work (one word or two).
Sources: Google and Bing searches (September 2025 to August 2026, through DataForSEO); English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
Forms of fieldwork
- fieldworks plural
- field work
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does fieldwork mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
Work done out in the fields as opposed to that done elsewhere on the farm (e.g., barn, house, outbuildings, office).
The days now were occupied in field work and more field work; he cleared new bits of ground, getting out roots and stones; plowing, manuring, harrowing, working with pick and spade, breaking lumps of soil and crumbling them with hand and he
- 2
Work done out in the real world rather than in controlled conditions.
That well Bob set up last weekend was some good fieldwork.
- 3
The collection of raw data in the field.
I thought the fieldwork in the course I was taking was going to be hard, but it was just interviewing people.
- 4
rareA temporary fortification built by troops in the field; a defensive earthwork in the field.
Billy's out building some fieldwork so that our enemies don't walk right over us.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Fieldwork in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | travaux des champs |
| German | Feldforschung |
| Portuguese | trabalho de campo |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does fieldwork come from?
From Middle English *felde-werk (found in plural felde werkes), equivalent to field + work.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).