work out
/ˌwɝk ˈaʊt/verb
work out is spelled W-O-R-K-O-U-T: 7 letters and 2 syllables. People search “work out vs workout” about 210 times a month (Google, United States). As a verb, work out means “To calculate” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in work out?
| Letters | 7: W-O-R-K-O-U-T |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its pronunciation) |
| In writing | a phrase: the frequency list counts single words |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Pairs people search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; 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 do you pronounce work out?
- UK /ˌwɜːk ˈaʊt/
- US /ˌwɝk ˈaʊt/
Work out has 2 syllables (counted from the pronunciation).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Persent101-work_out.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with work out
Word pairs people search, with the monthly searches for “a vs b” (G: Google, B: Bing, United States).
Also written: workout (one word or two).
Sources: Google and Bing searches (September 2025 to August 2026, through DataForSEO); English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
Forms of work out
- works out present, singular, he/she/it
- working out participle, present
- worked out participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does work out mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To calculate.
Can you work out 250 × 12 in your head for me?
- 2
To make sense of.
I can't work these instructions out.
- 3
To decide.
I can't work out if I like him or not.
- 4
To bring about or cause to happen by work or effort.
Near-synonyms: hash out, hammer out
- 5
To resolve; to find a solution for.
Near-synonyms: straighten out, sort out
- 6
To develop or devise in detail; to elaborate.
Near-synonyms: plan out, lay out
- 7
To smooth or perfect.
Near-synonyms: iron out, smooth out
- 8
To conclude with the correct solution.
Near-synonym: add up
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Work out in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | calculer , élaborer , s'entraîner |
| German | ausrechnen , ausarbeiten , trainieren , Erfolg haben, gelingen |
| Portuguese | calcular , malhar, exercitar-se , funcionar, dar certo, ter êxito |
| Spanish | cuajar, salir / terminar bien, surgir |
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.