What’s the difference between homework and housework?
This week we are looking at two words which are commonly confused because of their similar spellings: homework and housework .
Homework is work that school pupils are given to do at home. You say that pupils ‘ do homework ’. You don’t say that they ` make homework ‘.
Have you done your English homework ?
Homework is an uncountable noun.
Housework is work such as cleaning or washing that is done in a house.
She relied on us to do most of the housework .
Housework is an uncountable noun.
Find out more in our English Usage article .
This blogpost is based on Collins COBUILD English Usage , written for learners of English. For more examples of English usage points, please visit: https://grammar.collinsdictionary.com/english-usage .
All opinions expressed on this blog are those of the individual writers, and do not necessarily reflect the opinions or policies of Collins, or its parent company, HarperCollins.
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Definition of homework
Examples of homework in a sentence.
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'homework.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
1662, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Dictionary Entries Near homework
Cite this entry.
“Homework.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary , Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/homework. Accessed 27 Aug. 2024.
Kids Definition
Kids definition of homework, more from merriam-webster on homework.
Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for homework
Nglish: Translation of homework for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of homework for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about homework
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Etymology of "housework" and "homework"
In American English (perhaps British as well), "housework" and "homework" have different meanings. "Housework" refers to working around the house, such as dusting, vacuuming, etc., whereas "homework" refers to doing some school assignments at home, after school is out.
Homework can be completed outside the home, such as in a library. In order to do housework, however, one must be at one's house. How and when did two words which seem so similar at first glance gain such different meanings?
- 2 It might be interesting for you to know that I didn't find any entry in the OED regarding "housework". It is weird since I know the word exists. – Alenanno Commented Apr 3, 2011 at 17:35
- 2 Maybe the Brits don't do houseworks! But how they've managed to keep their mansions & chesterfields so pristine is beyond me. Mm. – Percy P. Commented Apr 3, 2011 at 17:41
- 2 We Brits invented 'housework'! Along with a rigid class system to make sure it was only done by scullery maids & other lesser mortals, leaving the lady of the house to concentrate of receiving 'gentleman callers'. But I never heard of anyone so grand they needed to pluralise the efforts others make on their behalf. – FumbleFingers Commented Apr 3, 2011 at 17:48
- 2 And originally in English public schools (which are private) homework wouldn't be done at home (since they were boarders) but in your house - but wasn't called homework it was called prep. Great language! - for an encore we will explain cricket – mgb Commented Apr 3, 2011 at 18:09
- Once I finish this post, I will go back to "working from home", which interestingly refers to a paid job, and is neither housework nor homework. – Jay Commented May 1, 2012 at 18:01
2 Answers 2
According to the OED , the original meaning of "homework" does conflate much more obviously with "housework," with the former being defined, above all, as:
Work done at home , esp. as distinguished from work done in a shop or factory.
The earliest citation is a hearty piece of precious advice from a sermon from the 1680s:
Wherefore let every Man, in the first place, look after his Homework ; what he hath to do at Home.
Less vague examples of homework were given in later quotes: Spinning, quilting, and embroidery. This crafty and practical usage seems, however, to be an obsolescent meaning of homework , with the last use from the '30s. But the word "home worker" (doing low-paying piecework) lives on, preserving this original meaning of "homework":
Most home workers are women. They need the flexibility of working hours that home work allows. ( Guardian , 1973)
The second—and now primary—meaning of "review/preparatory school work despised by youth" didn't appear until much later (late 19th century), but it's thriving and strong, having quickly overtaken the original meaning.
▶ Housework
The first citation of "house-work" from the OED (which hyphenates it) is from mid-19th century. Its meaning has always been as it is now: "the work done to keep a house orderly (and housewares clean)," diligently by housewives and begrudgingly by house-servants:
While the boys are engaged in out-door work, the girls could be employed in sewing or house-work . ( Report of the Commissioner of Indian Affairs , 1871)
Here it contrasts homework (sewing) with housework [other activities].
As FumbleFingers's Ngram shows, it has also been used in texts in its unhyphenated form, which the OED has chosen not to include, as Alenanno first noted above in the comments, although it does feature a sub-entry for the spaced "house work" (definition-less, with a single late-19th-century quote).
So the two words would seem to have diverged after the first ( homework ) took on a specialized meaning relatively late in its life. Now let's find the courage to get back to doing either/both!
- So you did found it in the OED? – Alenanno Commented Apr 3, 2011 at 22:56
- Aye, but not as "housework," but as "house-work" and "house work." The Brits prefer 'em hyphens & spaces, it seems. – Percy P. Commented Apr 3, 2011 at 23:38
- 1 I did find it as "housework" at dictionary.reference.com/browse/housework . I do believe American English tends to lose the hyphens in words more quickly than British English, but I am no linguis. That is just speculation. – ssakl Commented Apr 4, 2011 at 15:21
I think it's pretty clear housework came first, as shown by this . Apart from anything else, the activity now called homework probably didn't actually occur very often in a world where many children either didn't go to school at all, or had limited access to books, writing materials, etc. at home.
But it's worth mentioning that some (non-working) women who don't really like to call themselves (or be called) a 'housewife' will accept 'home-maker'. There are various subtle differences between house and home , but they're pretty much the same thing in most contexts, notwithstanding the 1964 song A House Is Not a Home .
- 1 This 'subtle difference' in particular is one that I have always found very interesting. It makes the English language appear quite sweet (Home suggests 'family' - a 'lived-in' house). Many other languages don't have this same distinction, though they interestingly are both of Germanic origin. – Karl Commented Apr 3, 2011 at 18:58
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Definition of housework noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary
- to do the housework
- He does his fair share of housework.
- Do your kids help with the housework?
- I spent all morning doing housework.
- They cook their own meals but they share the housework.
- The doctor said I could do a little light housework.
- They share all the bills and housework.
- do your share of the housework
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[ hous -wurk ]
- the work of cleaning, cooking, etc., to be done in housekeeping.
/ ˈhaʊsˌwɜːk /
- the work of running a home, such as cleaning, cooking, etc
Derived Forms
- ˈhouseˌworker , noun
Word History and Origins
Origin of housework 1
Example Sentences
We need to think about what we owe each other at all levels of society, from how we divide up housework in the home to how we share the burden of addressing the climate crisis.
The great work-from-home experiment of 2020 could have raised awareness in many heterosexual households about the frustratingly persistent gap between how much time men and women spend on housework.
Bloom and his coauthors found that people spent about 35 percent of that saved commuting time on their primary jobs, and about 60 percent on all non-leisure activity, including housework and childcare.
Cloth diapering fell out of favor as mothers managed the second shift of childcare and housework after their paid jobs and increasingly relied on daycare centers that required costly disposable diapers.
A year of the coronavirus pandemic has spurred a new debate about how we divide housework and child rearing.
So, Islamized teaching sends girls back home for marriage and housework, and remains exclusively for boys.
Coming to the center gives her a measure of relief from long days filled with childcare and housework.
What my daughters see me doing most of the time—the part they can wrap their heads around—is child care and housework.
At an early stage of their family life, she learned her husband believed that “a woman should do all housework herself.”
Jeff Ely, a game theorist at Northwestern, has traded massages for housework and writes his wife romantic anniversary blog posts.
At couen the pupils underwent a complete training in all branches of housework.
She went through the usual routine of housework like a laborer who drags after him a ball and chain.
During their school days, except in the exceptional home, they are not trained to do housework; do not learn to sew.
A couple of silent Martians prepared undistinguished meals and did housework in the quarters.
Housework, you know, is so much more fun if you have the right things to do it with.
Related Words
- housekeeping
- Cambridge Dictionary +Plus
Meaning of housework in English
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- I do all the housework while he just does the dishes now and again.
- Housework is not so bad if you put some music on and just get on with it.
- Couldn't we get a cleaning lady ? I'd rather not spend every Saturday doing the housework.
- I'm trying to train my boyfriend to do the occasional bit of housework.
- We divide up the housework between us - but he always makes me clean the bathrooms !
- bioremediation
- clean something out
- freshen (someone/something) up
- smarten (someone/something) up
- spiff someone/something up
- spit and polish idiom
- spring-clean
housework | Intermediate English
Examples of housework, translations of housework.
Get a quick, free translation!
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Common mistakes and confusing words in english.
| homework vs housework | (noun) - refers to tasks assigned to students by teachers to be completed mostly outside of class, and derives its name from the fact that most students do the majority of such work at home.
(noun) - refers to domestic household chores such as cleaning and cooking.
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home•work
An assignment is a task that someone is given to do, usually as part of their job.
An assignment is also a piece of academic work given to students.
In American English, an assignment is also a piece of work given to students to do at home.
Work given to schoolchildren to do at home is also called homework .
Be Careful! Homework is an uncountable noun. You do not talk about 'homeworks' or 'a homework'. Note that you do not say ' I have made my homework '. You say 'I have done my homework'.
Homework is work that school pupils are given to do at home. You say that pupils do homework. Don't say that they ' make homework '.
Housework is work such as cleaning or washing that is done in a house.
Be Careful! Both homework and housework are uncountable nouns. Don't talk about ' a homework ' or ' houseworks '.
| - preparatory school work done outside school (especially at home) , , - a school task performed by a student to satisfy the teacher , , , , , - the activities of educating or instructing; activities that impart knowledge or skill; "he received no formal education"; "our instruction was carefully programmed"; "good classroom teaching is seldom rewarded" |
- assignability
- best of all
- brain-teaser
- change magnitude
- concentrate
- homeshoring
- homesickness
- Home-speaking
- Homestead Act
- homestead exemption
- homestead law
- homesteader
- homesteading
- homestretch
- Homeward bound
- homeward(s)
- homeward-bound
- homework problem
- homeworking
- homewrecker
- homichlophobia
- homicide bomber
- Homicide by misadventure
- homicidomania
- homiletical
- homing adaptor
- homing device
- homing guidance
- hometraining
- Hometronic Internet Module
- HomeVestors of America, Inc.
- Homeward Bound
- Homeward Bound (disambiguation)
- Homeward Bound Animal Rescue Inc.
- Homeward Bound Greyhound Association
- Homeward Bound Theatre Company
- Homeward Trail Bible Camp
- homeward-boundly
- Homewood City Schools
- Homewood Institutional Review Board
- Homewood Maitland Safety Association
- Homewood Musical Instrument Co.
- Homewood-Flossmoor Swim Club, Inc.
- Homework Access Line
- Homework assignment
- Homework Assistance Hotline
- Homework Center
- Homework Diary
- Homework help
- Homework hotline
- Homeworkers
- Homeworkers Organized for More Employment
- Homeworkers' Union and Small Business Association
- Homeworking
- Homeworld 2
- Homewrecker
- Homewrecker (MTV series)
- Facebook Share
Online Language Dictionaries
| '; audChoice = audChoice.replace(/ selected=["']selected["']/gm, '');var audT = document.getElementById('audT');if ((audT) && (audPref)) { //Parse the content if(audPref.indexOf(':') > -1) { var audPrefAccent = audPref.split(':')[0]; var playbackRate = audPref.split(':')[1]; } else { var audPrefAccent = audPref; var playbackRate = 1; } var re = new RegExp('( UK and possibly other pronunciationsUK and possibly other pronunciations/ˈhaʊswɜː k/US:USA pronunciation: IPA and respellingUSA pronunciation: IPA/ˈhaʊsˌwɝk/ ,USA pronunciation: respelling(hous wûrk′) | | | | | | | WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2024 house•work n. [ ] WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2024 house•work wûrk′),USA pronunciation n. + work 1570–80 /ˈhaʊsˌwɜːk/ n ' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations): - - - - - - - - , , , , , , , , stays at home and does the housework, have a lot of housework to get done [today, this afternoon, this weekend], have a lot of housework to do, Forum discussions with the word(s) "housework" in the title: Go to page and choose from different actions for taps or mouse clicks. In other languages: | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Look up a word, learn it forever./ˌhoʊmˈwʌrk/. Other forms: homeworks Any assignment you're expected to complete after school and bring back to class the next day is called homework . Many students make up excuses for not having their homework done. The "My dog ate my homework " excuse doesn't work so well in the digital age. High school students typically have a lot of homework most days, and often that's true for younger students as well. In college, an increasing amount of school work is done outside of class, as homework (even if you do it in the library, a cafe, or a dorm). Homework originally referred to any work done at home, including cooking and cleaning. The first example of the "school work" meaning dates from the late 1880s.
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The meaning of HOUSEWORK is the work of housekeeping. How to use housework in a sentence.
In today's Learning English post we explain the difference between homework and housework. Improve your English with Collins.
HOUSEWORK definition: 1. the work of keeping a house clean and tidy: 2. the work of keeping a house clean and tidy: 3…. Learn more.
The meaning of HOMEWORK is piecework done at home for pay. How to use homework in a sentence.
In American English (perhaps British as well), "housework" and "homework" have different meanings. "Housework" refers to working around the house, such as dusting, vacuuming, etc., whereas "homework" refers to doing some school assignments at home, after school is out. Homework can be completed outside the home, such as in a library.
Define housework. housework synonyms, housework pronunciation, housework translation, English dictionary definition of housework. n. The tasks, such as cleaning and cooking, that are performed in housekeeping. house′work′er n. American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language,...
HOMEWORK definition: 1. work that teachers give their students to do at home: 2. work that teachers give their students…. Learn more.
Definition of housework noun in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more.
housework meaning, definition, what is housework: work that you do to take care of a house...: Learn more.
housework. British English: housework / ˈhaʊsˌwɜːk / NOUN. Housework is the work such as cleaning and cooking that you do in your home. American English: housework / ˈhaʊswɜrk /. Arabic: شُغْلُ البَيْتُ. Brazilian Portuguese: tarefa doméstica. Chinese: 家务. Croatian: kućanski poslovi. Czech: domácí práce.
Housework definition: the work of cleaning, cooking, etc., to be done in housekeeping.. See examples of HOUSEWORK used in a sentence.
HOUSEWORK meaning: 1. the work of keeping a house clean and tidy: 2. the work of keeping a house clean and tidy: 3…. Learn more.
Homework (noun) - refers to tasks assigned to students by teachers to be completed mostly outside of class, and derives its name from the fact that most students do the majority of such work at home. For example: "A lot of students in the UK get too much homework." Housework (noun) - refers to domestic household chores such as cleaning and cooking.
The work of running a home, such as cleaning, cooking, etc.... Click for English pronunciations, examples sentences, video.
Define homework. homework synonyms, homework pronunciation, homework translation, English dictionary definition of homework. n. 1. Work, such as schoolwork or piecework, that is done at home. 2. Preparatory or preliminary work: did their homework before coming to the meeting....
homework meaning, definition, what is homework: work that a student at school is asked t...: Learn more.
housework - WordReference English dictionary, questions, discussion and forums. All Free.
housework: 1 n the work of cleaning and running a house Synonyms: housekeeping Type of: work activity directed toward making or doing something
homework: 1 n preparatory school work done outside school (especially at home) Synonyms: prep , preparation Type of: school assignment , schoolwork a school task performed by a student to satisfy the teacher
Housework definition: The tasks, such as cleaning and cooking, that are performed in housekeeping.
Britannica Dictionary definition of HOUSEWORK. [noncount] : work (such as cleaning, cooking, or laundry) that is done to keep a house clean and running properly. I got up early and did some housework.
Like most uncountable nouns, it functions like a singular noun grammatically. Homework is a noncount noun, so the singular ("homework is ") would be correct. I would use the word "assignments"—or the phrase "homework assignments" if specificity is needed—when referring to multiple pieces of homework (e.g., "the (homework ...