workaround
/ˈwɜːk.əɹaʊnd/noun
workaround is spelled W-O-R-K-A-R-O-U-N-D: 10 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 41,154th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). People search “work around vs workaround” about 10 times a month (Google, United States). As a noun, workaround means “A means or method of circumventing an obstacle, particularly one arising from constraints, laws or regulatory requirements” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of workaround is workarounds.
How many letters and syllables are in workaround?
| Letters | 10: W-O-R-K-A-R-O-U-N-D |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 41,154th 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 workaround?
Workaround appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 41,154th 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 workaround?
- UK /ˈwɜːk.əɹaʊnd/
Workaround 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: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-workaround.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with workaround
Word pairs people search, with the monthly searches for “a vs b” (G: Google, B: Bing, United States).
Also written: work-around (one word or two).
Sources: Google and Bing searches (September 2025 to August 2026, through DataForSEO); English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
Forms of workaround
- workarounds plural
- work-around
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does workaround mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A means or method of circumventing an obstacle, particularly one arising from constraints, laws or regulatory requirements.
- 2
A procedure or a temporary fix that bypasses a problem and allows a user to continue working until a better solution can be provided.
- 3
An impromptu and temporary response to an unforeseen problem or risk.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Workaround in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | solution, bidouillage, magouillage, trucage , contournement |
| Portuguese | contornar, ajuste, jeitinho |
| Spanish | elusión, solución alternativa, ajuste, arreglo, paliativo, método alterno |
| German | Workaround |
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 workaround come from?
From work + around.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).