work-hour
B2Formal, official, business, legal.
Definition
Meaning
A period of time, usually one hour, officially allocated for paid work or professional duties.
Refers to any time formally designated as part of a working day, often used in plural ('work hours') to denote the total daily or weekly time spent working. Also relates to regulations, compensation, and policies surrounding employment time.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
Typically used in the plural ('work hours') to refer to the collective time spent working. The singular form ('a work hour') is less common and often appears in compound or attributive contexts (e.g., work-hour reduction).
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
UK English slightly prefers the hyphenated compound 'work-hour' as an attributive adjective (e.g., work-hour regulations). US English may use the open compound 'work hour' or 'work hours' more frequently in all contexts. The term 'working hours' is common in both varieties.
Connotations
Neutral to formal in both; implies a structured, often legally defined period of employment.
Frequency
Moderately frequent in business, HR, and legal contexts in both regions. The phrase 'working hours' is more common in everyday speech than 'work hour(s)'.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
during [possessive] work hours[number] work hours [per day/week]adjust/reduce/extend [object] work hourswork hours of [profession/group]Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “Burn the midnight oil (work late hours)”
- “Clock in/out (start/finish work hours)”
- “Nine-to-five (standard work hours)”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Used in HR policies, contracts, and discussions about productivity and scheduling (e.g., 'We are reviewing the core work hours for the office.').
Academic
Appears in labour economics, sociology, and management studies research (e.g., 'The study correlated work hours with wellbeing indicators.').
Everyday
Used when discussing schedules or complaints about job time (e.g., 'My work hours have been really long this month.').
Technical
Found in legal texts, employment law, and workforce management software (e.g., 'The system logs all work hours for compliance.').
Examples
By Part of Speech
adjective
British English
- The new work-hour regulations come into effect next quarter.
- We need a work-hour audit for the project team.
American English
- The work hour policy is outlined in the employee handbook.
- They negotiated a work-hour reduction in the new contract.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- My work hours are from nine to five.
- What are your work hours?
- I prefer flexible work hours so I can start earlier.
- His work hours were changed by the new manager.
- The company is considering a reduction in weekly work hours to improve wellbeing.
- Employees must log their work hours accurately in the online system.
- Legislation was introduced to cap the maximum work hours for junior doctors.
- The correlation between excessive work hours and diminished cognitive performance is well-documented.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of a CLOCK face at your WORKplace. WORK-HOUR is simply the time that clock measures while you are on the job.
Conceptual Metaphor
TIME IS A RESOURCE / COMMODITY (work hours are allocated, spent, saved, or wasted).
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Avoid direct calque 'рабочий час' for singular instances; 'рабочее время' (working time) is more natural for the plural concept.
- Do not confuse with 'work hour' and 'working hour' – in English, they are largely interchangeable, but 'working hours' is the most common phrase.
Common Mistakes
- Using 'work hour' in singular as a countable noun for a general concept (Incorrect: 'I have a short work hour.' Correct: 'I have short work hours.' or 'My work day is short.').
- Misspelling as one word: 'workhour' (should be hyphenated or open compound).
Practice
Quiz
Which phrase is most commonly used in official HR documents?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Both are understood, but 'working hours' (plural) is the most common and natural phrase in everyday English to refer to the time you are scheduled to work.
No, 'work hour' is not a verb. It functions as a noun (often plural) or a compound adjective (e.g., work-hour policy). To describe the action, you would use phrases like 'to work', 'to log hours', or 'to put in hours'.
'Work hours' typically refer to standard, scheduled, and usually paid hours of work. 'Overtime' refers to hours worked beyond those standard hours, often with additional pay.
As a noun phrase, it is most commonly written as two words: 'work hours'. When used directly before a noun as a compound adjective, it is often hyphenated: 'work-hour record'. The one-word form 'workhour' is non-standard.