# worker

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈwɜː.kə/ · frequency rank #3,461

## Definitions
1. One who works: a person who performs labor for a living; traditionally, especially, manual labor.
2. A nonreproductive social insect, such as ant, bee, termite, or wasp.
3. A nonreproductive social insect, such as ant, bee, termite, or wasp.
4. A thread performing one instance of a particular task within a program.

## Etymology
From Middle English werkere, worcher, wercher, equivalent to work + -er. Displaced the older term wright, from Old English wyrhta.

## Easily confused with
- **works** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/worker-vs-works)
- **worse** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/worker-vs-worse)
- **worsen** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/worker-vs-worsen)
- **workers** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/worker-vs-workers)
- **workmen** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/worker-vs-workmen)
- **work** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/work-vs-worker)
- **wore** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/wore-vs-worker)
- **woke** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/woke-vs-worker)
- **woken** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/woken-vs-worker)
- **worked** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/worked-vs-worker)
- **wonder** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/wonder-vs-worker)
- **walker** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/walker-vs-worker)
- **Warner** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/warner-vs-worker)
- **weaker** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/weaker-vs-worker)
- **warmer** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/warmer-vs-worker)
- **wicker** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/wicker-vs-worker)
- **wanker** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/wanker-vs-worker)
- **Welker** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/welker-vs-worker)

## Common misspellings (9)
`owrker`, `wokrer`, `worekr`, `workerr`, `workker`, `workre`, `worrker`, `wroker`, `wworker`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/worker