workman

/ˈwɝkmən/

//ˈwɝkmən// noun

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

"workman" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“workman” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #30,658. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#30,658
frequency rank, English
1,759
“W” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
5
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A man who labours for wages.

Corpus desk

Index EN-workman · workman · English

workman · rank #30,658 · 11 variants · 5 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #30,658
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 5 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,759
  • PHOTO-FINISH Witt

Nearest frequency peer: Witt (-2 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “workman”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “workman” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

workman vs workmen
86% similar
workman vs woman
71% similar
workman vs workday
71% similar

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

Key facts for workman
PropertyValue
Headwordworkman
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈwɝkmən/
Letters7
Frequency rank#30,658
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs5
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “workman”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).workmanlands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “Witt” (#30,656), “wineries” (#30,655), “widget” (#30,654). Among 1,759 “W” headwords, “workman” is #30,658. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around workman (IPA /ˈwɝkmən/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #30,658 among 1,759 “W” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for workman, with forms such as "owrkman", "wokrman", and "workamn". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 5 confusable-pair relationships, "workmen", "woman", "workday", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English werkman, from Old English weorcmann (“workman”), from Proto-West Germanic *werkamann, from Proto-Germanic *werkamann- (“workman”), equivalent to work + -man. Compare Dutch werkman (“workman”), German Werkmann (“labourer, workman”), Icela… The correct English form is workman, spelled W-O-R-K-M-A-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    A man who labours for wages.
  2. 2
    An artisan or craftsman.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

These source excerpts show how workman appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. He laid the foundation stone on August 1 1847, and then set around 2,000 workmen loose on the undertaking. The station opened exactly one year later on August 1 1848.

Etymology

From Middle English werkman, from Old English weorcmann (“workman”), from Proto-West Germanic *werkamann, from Proto-Germanic *werkamann- (“workman”), equivalent to work + -man. Compare Dutch werkman (“workman”), German Werkmann (“labourer, workman”), Icelandic verkamaður (“workman”).

This word in other languages

ouvrier(Français)Arbeiter(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • owrkman
  • wokrman
  • workamn
  • workkman
  • workmann
  • workmman
  • workmna
  • wormkan
  • worrkman
  • wrokman
  • wworkman

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of workman - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

owrkman2wokrman2workamn2workkman1workmann1workmman1workmna2wormkan2
Edit distance from "workman"

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 "workman"?
"workman" is spelled W-O-R-K-M-A-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈwɝkmən/.
What does "workman" mean?
As a noun, "workman" means: A man who labours for wages.
What words are commonly confused with "workman"?
"workman" is commonly confused with "workmen", "woman", "workday". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "workman"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "workman" is /ˈwɝkmən/. 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 "workman"?
From Middle English werkman, from Old English weorcmann (“workman”), from Proto-West Germanic *werkamann, from Proto-Germanic *werkamann- (“workman”), equivalent to work + -man. Compare Dutch werkman (“workman”), German Werkmann (“labourer, workma... 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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "workman", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

abreast#30,670Vasquez#30,641utilise#30,638anthems#30,684

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

wineries11 variantsaudacious11 variantsBayesian11 variantsblaring11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list