handiwork
/ˈhændiˌwɝk/noun
handiwork is spelled H-A-N-D-I-W-O-R-K: 9 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 40,267th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, handiwork means “Work done by the hands” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of handiwork is handiworks.
How many letters and syllables are in handiwork?
| Letters | 9: H-A-N-D-I-W-O-R-K |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 40,267th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in 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).
How common is handiwork?
Handiwork appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 40,267th 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 handiwork?
- UK /ˈhændiˌwɜːk/
- US /ˈhændiˌwɝk/
Handiwork has 3 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: En-us-handiwork.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with handiwork
Also written: hand-work.
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
Forms of handiwork
- handiworks plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does handiwork mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
Work done by the hands.
- 2
A handmade object; a handicraft.
The Museum of Popular Arts showcases Portugal's finest handiworks.
- 3
Work done personally.
The street names are the handiwork of city planners.
- 4
The result of personal efforts.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Handiwork in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense work done by the hands:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| Portuguese | trabalho manual |
| Spanish | hechura |
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 handiwork come from?
From Middle English hondywerk, handiwerc, from Old English handġeweorc (“work done by hand, creation”), from hand (“hand”) + ġeweorc (“work”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).