man-hour
B2Formal, Technical, Business
Definition
Meaning
A unit of work, representing the amount of work one person can do in one hour, used to estimate labour requirements and costs.
A measure of productivity and labour input, often used in project management, budgeting, and economic analysis to quantify the human effort involved in a task or project.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
The term is non-gender-specific in modern professional use (synonymous with 'person-hour' or 'work hour'), though the compound form 'man-hour' remains standard in many technical and business contexts.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant difference in meaning or usage. Spelling is consistent as 'man-hour' (with hyphen).
Connotations
Equally neutral and technical in both varieties. The potential gender-specific reading is equally noted and addressed in both regions, often with style guides recommending 'person-hour' or 'work hour' in more progressive contexts.
Frequency
Slightly more frequent in American business and technical writing, but common in both.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
The project REQUIRED [X] man-hours.We ESTIMATE/CALCULATE [X] man-hours for the task.It TOOK [X] man-hours to complete.Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “Not applicable for this technical term.”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Used in project proposals, budgets, and efficiency reports to quantify labour costs: 'The consultancy quoted 500 man-hours for the implementation.'
Academic
Used in economics, engineering, and management studies analysing productivity and input metrics.
Everyday
Rare in casual conversation. Might be used when discussing large personal projects (e.g., home renovation).
Technical
Core term in project management, manufacturing, software development, and civil engineering for resource planning.
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- The team will need to man-hour the project plan carefully.
American English
- We should man-hour the budget before submitting it.
adverb
British English
- The work was completed man-hour efficiently.
American English
- They planned the project man-hour effectively.
adjective
British English
- The man-hour estimates were revised upwards.
- A man-hour calculation sheet was provided.
American English
- The man-hour requirements are substantial.
- We reviewed the man-hour reports.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- A big job needs many man-hours.
- The builder gave an estimate of 80 man-hours to fix the roof.
- Management is aiming to reduce man-hours lost to inefficient processes by 15% this quarter.
- The tender document stipulated that the contractor must provide a detailed breakdown of man-hours per project phase, including seniority weightings.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of a clock with a tiny worker inside it. Each tick represents one 'MAN' working for one 'HOUR' – one unit of work done.
Conceptual Metaphor
LABOUR IS A MEASURABLE COMMODITY (it can be counted in standardised units, like kilograms or litres).
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Avoid direct translation as 'человеко-час' unless in a formal technical context. It sounds overly bureaucratic in casual Russian.
- Do not confuse with 'work hour' (рабочий час), which refers to a scheduled period of work, not a unit of measurement.
Common Mistakes
- Using it as a plural for 'hour' (e.g., 'We worked three man-hours' – correct; 'We worked for three man-hours' – incorrect if you mean 'for three hours').
- Treating it as an adjective without a hyphen ('man hour' is incorrect).
Practice
Quiz
In which context is the term 'man-hour' LEAST appropriate?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
While historically gendered, in modern technical and business English it is generally understood as a neutral unit of measurement. However, many contemporary style guides recommend 'person-hour', 'work hour', or 'labour hour' to be explicitly inclusive.
No, for machine time, the specific terms are 'machine-hour' or 'runtime'. 'Man-hour' specifically measures human labour input.
They are often synonymous, but 'man-hour' is a standardised, countable unit used for aggregate planning and costing (e.g., 500 man-hours). 'An hour of work' is more general and descriptive.
The standard plural is 'man-hours'. The first element ('man') acts as a modifier and does not change (e.g., 'a ten-man team', 'a five-mile walk').