job

/dʒɒb/

//dʒɒb// noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"job" is a 3-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“job” is in the everyday core of English, ranked #296 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#296
frequency rank, English
3
letters
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A task.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

job vs Jr
0% similar
job vs Ju
0% similar
job vs JV
0% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for job
PropertyValue
Headwordjob
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/dʒɒb/
Letters3
Frequency rank#296
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “job” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). job lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for job is 3 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /dʒɒb/. Corpus data places it at rank #296 in overall English word frequency, putting it firmly in the everyday core of the language. Wiktionary records 11 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for job, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "Jr", "Ju", "JV", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From the phrase jobbe of work (“piece of work”), of uncertain origin. Perhaps from a variant of Middle English gobbe (“mass, lump”); or perhaps related to Middle English jobben (“to jab, thrust, peck”), or Middle English choppe (“piece, bargain”). More at g… The correct English form is job, spelled J-O-B.

Definition

  1. 1
    A task.
  2. 2
    An economic role for which a person is paid.
  3. 3
    Plastic surgery.
  4. 4
    A sex act.
  5. 5
    A task, or series of tasks, carried out in batch mode (especially on a mainframe computer).
  6. 6
    A public transaction done for private profit; something performed ostensibly as a part of official duty, but really for private gain; a corrupt official business.
  7. 7
    A robbery or heist.
  8. 8
    Any affair or event which affects one, whether fortunately or unfortunately.
  9. 9
    A thing or whatsit (often used in a vague way to refer to something whose name one cannot recall).
  10. 10
    The police as a profession, act of policing, or an individual police officer.
  11. 11
    A penis.

Etymology

From the phrase jobbe of work (“piece of work”), of uncertain origin. Perhaps from a variant of Middle English gobbe (“mass, lump”); or perhaps related to Middle English jobben (“to jab, thrust, peck”), or Middle English choppe (“piece, bargain”). More at gob, jab, chop.

This word in other languages

tarea(Español)tâche(Français)Aufgabe(Deutsch)tarefa(Português)

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "job"?
"job" is spelled J-O-B. The IPA pronunciation is /dʒɒb/.
What does "job" mean?
As a noun, "job" means: A task.
What words are commonly confused with "job"?
"job" is commonly confused with "Jr", "Ju", "JV". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "job"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "job" is /dʒɒb/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "job"?
From the phrase jobbe of work (“piece of work”), of uncertain origin. Perhaps from a variant of Middle English gobbe (“mass, lump”); or perhaps related to Middle English jobben (“to jab, thrust, peck”), or Middle English choppe (“piece, bargain”).... See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Using “job”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is J-O-B - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /dʒɒb/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “Jr” - see the side-by-side comparison. job vs Jr
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list