workmanlike
/ˈwɜː(ɹ)kmənlaɪk/
"workmanlike" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“workmanlike” is uncommon English (frequency #76,475 among 1,759 “W” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- #76,475
- frequency rank, English
- 1,759
- “W” headwords
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Resembling or characteristic of a workman.
Corpus desk
Index EN-workmanlike · workmanlike · English
workmanlike · rank #76,475 · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-RARE #76,475
- LEN-MEGA 11 letters
- VOW-4 4 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-MID 1,759
- PHOTO-FINISH Woonsocket
Nearest frequency peer: Woonsocket (-1 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.
Long-tail ranks near “workmanlike”
Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter
- wonderfull
wonderfull
23,530 corpus weight
- woodshed
woodshed
23,529 corpus weight
- Woonsocket
Woonsocket
23,527 corpus weight
- workmanlike
workmanlike
23,526 corpus weight
- worthlessne…
worthlessness
23,525 corpus weight
- Wotan
Wotan
23,524 corpus weight
What this shows Long-tail view: where “workmanlike” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | workmanlike |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Adjective |
| IPA | /ˈwɜː(ɹ)kmənlaɪk/ |
| Letters | 11 |
| Frequency rank | #76,475 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “workmanlike” in English
Rare enough to double-check
workmanlike is uncommon English at frequency #76,475 among 1,759 “W” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ˈwɜː(ɹ)kmənlaɪk/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.
No misspelling variants are generated for workmanlike in our index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.
Etymologically, the entry records: From workman + -like. The correct English form is workmanlike, spelled W-O-R-K-M-A-N-L-I-K-E.
Definition
- 1Resembling or characteristic of a workman.
- 2Done competently but without flair.
- 3Performed with the skill of an artisan or craftsman.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how workmanlike appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
She was dressed in khaki, khaki slacks and khaki shirt, practical and workmanlike.
In appearance the new 4-4-0s were magnificent engines for the period in which they were built; the boiler, bulging over the typical Drummond splasher, gave the engine a sturdy, workmanlike look, and the blue livery enhanced a picture of sleek, powerful, efficiency.
Etymology
From workman + -like.
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
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Similar English words by spelling shape
Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "workmanlike", not the corpus desk frequency band.
Same letter count
Frequency-ranked English headwords with 11 letters (nearest by frequency rank).