homework and housework different

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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Difference between HOMEWORK and HOUSEWORK

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What’s the difference between homework and housework ?

These two words seem practically identical, but they actually have separate meanings and uses. I’ll clarify that in today’s lesson, so that you can be sure to use the right word.

And at the end I’ll also tell you about a common mistake that English learners often make with homework and housework.

How to use HOMEWORK in English

Homework refers to schoolwork that you do at home.

So if you’re in class, your teacher might give you homework – maybe a worksheet, maybe a book/article to read, maybe an exercise to do or something to research – and then you do that homework outside of class, at home.

Homework is usually extra practice or an additional assignment to help you practice what you learned inside class, or take your learning further.

How to use HOUSEWORK in English

Housework refers to the physical tasks that are necessary to take care of your house or apartment , the place where you live. We usually use housework to refer to cooking, cleaning, and laundry (washing your clothes).

So homework is schoolwork you do at home, and housework involves maintaining your living space.

What about “chores”?

One of my students asked if the word chores means the same thing as housework.

Yes – chores is another word we can use for those things that you have to do around the house. Washing dishes, sweeping the floor, cleaning the toilet, and so on. You probably don’t really enjoy them, but they need to get done.

And it’s also common to use this word chores you have a parent who makes their children help with these tasks. So the parent would say, “you have to do your chores.” You need to do those things around the house that you’re responsible for, like cleaning up your room or maybe helping with the laundry.

HOMEWORK and HOUSEWORK are always singular!

Now here’s an important detail – the word chore is countable, so you can have one chore, two chores, three chores, or a lot of chores to do.

But homework and housework are BOTH considered uncountable . So we always use them in the singular, always homework and housework, never homeworks or houseworks.

They are singular even when they refer to multiple tasks. So even if you have multiple assignments to do and multiple things to do in your house, it’s still only homework and housework.

You can talk about general quantity by saying a little homework/housework or a lot of homework/housework – but don’t use numbers, like “three homeworks,” and don’t add an S, “a lot of houseworks” – it’s not correct.

WORK / WORKS

This rule also applies to the word “work” – most of the time it’s singular.

Don’t say “I have a lot of works to do.” – the correct way would be “I have a lot of work to do.” You can say tasks, you can say projects, you can say assignments, you can say things – those can all be plural, but work is typically singular.

There’s one situation where we can say “works” and that’s specifically when we’re talking about works of art, works of music, or works of literature. So when we’re talking about productions in the artistic world, then sometimes we use works in the plural. For example, this is one of Picasso’s greatest works of art.

But in everyday life, when talking about the work you have to do, it’s always work, singular and same with homework and housework, singular.

Now you know the difference between homework and housework – and remember, doing homework is really important for reviewing and practicing what you learn!

A lot of our courses at Espresso English include homework. Sometimes that’s a quiz so you can test yourself on the lesson, and sometimes the homework is a writing task or speaking task where you can send your answers to our teaching team and get correction and feedback.

Our students often find this the most valuable part of our courses, because then you’re not just watching or reading or listening to me in English, but you’re also using English yourself. It really makes a difference in helping you learn and remember better.

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Shayna Oliveira is the founder of Espresso English, where you can improve your English fast - even if you don’t have much time to study. Millions of students are learning English from her clear, friendly, and practical lessons! Shayna is a CELTA-certified teacher with 10+ years of experience helping English learners become more fluent in her English courses.

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Homework vs. Housework — What's the Difference?

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7 Types of Homework for Students

There are seven types of homework. These are practice, preparation, extension, integration, research, application, and flipped homework.

Each type of homework has its own role for students learning. The important task for teachers is to select homework that will best provide holistic support to a student.

This doesn’t mean just supporting students for the upcoming exams but also ensuring students are not overwhelmed by homework and that they can still live a balanced life outside of school.

Types of Homework

1. practice.

Practice is the most common task students have when they are given homework. It entails attempting to reinforce information learned in school so that students will commit it to long-term memory.

An example of practice homework is math workbooks. Usually, a teacher will complete the math task in class so students know how to do it, then give them a workbook of 20 – 50 tasks to complete overnight to reinforce the task.

The benefit of practice homework is that it can certainly help students commit what they learned in class to memory. This is especially the case if teachers used spaced repetition. This is a strategy whereby the teacher re-introduces things learned in previous weeks and months during homework revision so the information is not lost over time.

The downside of practice homework is that the child is learning on their own during this period. This means that, if the child hasn’t sufficiently learned the content in class, they don’t have anyone to help them during homework time. This can lead to a great deal of frustration and despair for students staring at a piece of paper feeling lost and confused.

Related: Homework Statistics

2. Preparation

Preparation homework is given to students before a lesson so they have the important information at hand before class.

Commonly, this occurs when teachers provide reading materials for students to look over between class. They then come to class having read the materials so they are ready to discuss and debate the topics.

It’s also commonly used in language learning, where it’s called pre-teaching of vocabulary. The teacher provides vocabulary to learn before class so the students can come to class and practice it together.

The benefit of preparation homework is that it bunches a lot of the didactic (non-interactive) parts of learning into the pre-class time so students can spend most of their time in class interacting with the teacher and peers.

The downside of preparation homework is that it rarely works as expected. Teachers often spend the first 10 to 15 minutes of class re-teaching what was supposed to be done for homework either because students found it too hard or they didn’t do the tasks.

3. Extension

Extension homework involves providing students with tasks that are based upon what was learned in class, but goes over and above those tasks.

It is the equivalent of teaching a student to swim then letting them out into the ocean. The students have to apply their knowledge in a new context without the support or ‘ scaffolding ’ of a teacher hovering over their shoulders.

The benefit of extension homework is it can give students a lot of confidence. They can go home and feel as if they’re excelling at their work when they find that they’re doing it without the support of a teacher.

The downside of extension homework is that it can be risky: by definition, students are extending themselves beyond what was learned in class, meaning they will come across new information and new contexts where they might need help that’s not available at the time.

Related: Homework Pros and Cons

4. Integration

Integration homework requires students to bring together, or ‘integrate’, knowledge from various subjects and knowledge areas into one project.

The homework may involve the integration of history lessons with writing lessons to create a book report, or the integration of math with business studies to create a business plan.

Integration is great for students to draw connections between things they have learned in various different classes at school. However, it also involves a lot of complexity that may make students feel confused or overwhelmed.

5. Research

Research homework involves using your time after school and on weekends to gather data that will be discussed in class.

Often, this can involve interviewing family members, taking photos around your community, or looking up information on the internet.

The benefit of research homework is that students often come to class with exciting things to share. They will also come with questions to help stimulate conversation in class.

However, it’s important for teachers to be aware that not all students have access to high-speed internet and other resources to conduct research. In fact, in my homework statistics article, I discussed how a staggering 24% of low-income American teens regularly fail to complete homework due to lack of access to technology.

6. Application

Application homework involves taking knowledge learned in class and applying it to real-world settings.

This is common in immersive language learning settings, for example, when teachers ask students to go out into the streets and practice new vocabulary when ordering a drink or buying food.

The benefit of application homework is that it gives real-world context to what was learned in class. By applying your knowledge, you can more effectively commit it to memory than simply rote learning it at your kitchen table.

Application in a real-world setting provides a context and a story that you can easily pull from your memory in the future, helping you to retain information long-term.

7. Flipped Homework

The flipped learning movement is a movement that involves making students learn at home on their own then come to class to practice it.

For teachers, this means thinking about school as the space for ‘traditional’ homework and home as the space for instruction.

This is increasingly popular with technology and hybrid learning environments. For example, a teacher might assign a YouTube video to watch as homework before class. Then, the class involves dissecting the video and critiquing it.

The benefit of flipped learning is that it maximizes time for constructivist and hands-on active learning in the classroom. The downside is students can get confused during preparation, they may not complete the preparation work, or technology may fail on them.

What are the Functions of Homework?

Homework serves multiple purposes. These include:

• Getting Ahead: Many schools and parents give their children homework (including private tutoring help so their children can have an advantage in life over other children.
• Keeping Up: On a societal level, many governments encourage homework so that students can keep up with other societies in the ‘education race’ of the 21st Century. Some societies, like South Korea, heavily emphasize homework, and others feel they need to keep up.
• Catching Up: Many students are assigned homework to catch up with the rest of their class. If you find a topic very difficult, you may find you need to spend a lot more time on your own working through the information than your peers.
• Retention: Homework helps you to repeat and retain information. With extra practice, you can commit information to memory.
• Excitement: Some well-made homework can get students excited to come to class to discuss what they did.
• Application: Situation-based learning, where you’re applying what you learned in class to real-world situations, can help progress students’ knowledge in ways that you can’t in school.
• Home-School Relationships: Homework also serves the purpose of ensuring parents know what’s going on in school. Many parents like to see what children are learning so they can monitor their children’s progress and keep teachers accountable.

Homework comes in all shapes and sizes. While many teachers stick to the old fashioned repetition homework mode, I’d encourage you to try out a range of other types of homework that can keep students engaged, encourage more discussion and collaboration in class, and ensure that the difficult work where students need the teacher’s help takes place in the classroom. This will provide maximum support for your students, help propel them forward, and prevent arguments for why homework should be banned .

Chris Drew (PhD)

Dr. Chris Drew is the founder of the Helpful Professor. He holds a PhD in education and has published over 20 articles in scholarly journals. He is the former editor of the Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education. [Image Descriptor: Photo of Chris]

• Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd/ 5 Top Tips for Succeeding at University
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• Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd/ 100 Consumer Goods Examples
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Homework: Facts and Fiction

• Living reference work entry
• First Online: 09 November 2021
• Cite this living reference work entry

• Rubén Fernández-Alonso 4 , 5 &
• José Muñiz 6  

Part of the book series: Springer International Handbooks of Education ((SIHE))

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4 Citations

Homework is a universal student practice. Despite this universality, the role that homework plays in student academic performance is complex and open to various interpretations. This chapter reviews the current available evidence about the relationships between homework and achievement. We begin by examining the differences between countries and follow that by reviewing the influence of variables related to student homework behavior, teaching practices around assigning homework, and the role of the family in helping with homework. The results indicate that the relationship between time spent on homework and school results is curvilinear, and the best results are seen to be associated with moderate amounts of daily homework. With regard to student homework behavior, there is abundant evidence indicating that the “how” is much more important than the “how much.” Commitment and effort, the emotions prompted by the task, and autonomous working are three key aspects in predicting academic achievement. Effective teaching practice around homework is determined by setting it daily and systematic review. Although family involvement in the educational process is desirable, in the case of homework, direct help has doubtful effects on student achievement.

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Fernández-Alonso, R., Muñiz, J. (2021). Homework: Facts and Fiction. In: Nilsen, T., Stancel-Piątak, A., Gustafsson, JE. (eds) International Handbook of Comparative Large-Scale Studies in Education. Springer International Handbooks of Education. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-38298-8_40-1

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• Managing Time During School Years

How to Balance Homework and Chores

Last Updated: December 15, 2022 References

This article was co-authored by Ashley Pritchard, MA . Ashley Pritchard is an Academic and School Counselor at Delaware Valley Regional High School in Frenchtown, New Jersey. Ashley has over 3 years of high school, college, and career counseling experience. She has an MA in School Counseling with a specialization in Mental Health from Caldwell University and is certified as an Independent Education Consultant through the University of California, Irvine. This article has been viewed 97,222 times.

Sometimes you are so busy with things like doing the dishes, cleaning your room, mowing the lawn, and doing your homework that there’s not enough time for the fun things in life. While homework and chores are important, it doesn’t mean that they need to occupy all of your time. Balancing your homework and your chores will give you the extra time you need to socialize and enjoy your favorite hobbies.

Getting Yourself Organized

• As you complete each task, cross it off on the list so that you remember that you don’t have to do it anymore.
• Create your list on a piece of paper or your cellphone. Storing lists mentally leaves room for you to forget what you need to do.
• During the day you may get additional chores or homework assignments. When you do, make sure to add them to your list.

• Your schedule doesn’t need to be as specific as an hour-by-hour schedule, but the more specific you are the better. A day-to-day schedule will allow you to plot out important chores per day so that by the end of the week you’ll have completed all of them.
• 4:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. - Homework
• 5:45 p.m. - 6:15 p.m. - Vacuum Dining Room
• 6:30 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. - Clean Room
• 7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. - Socialize!

• Throw things away like empty bottles of water or loose pieces of paper as soon as you don’t need them anymore.
• The more you stay on top of your clutter, the less work you have to do all at once.

• Keeping a binder or trapper keeper with separate compartments can help you keep any important homework.
• Make sure to keep things you don’t need anymore in a separate place. You don’t want your folders to become cluttered and unorganized.
• Be careful when you throw away things you get in class. You may need it for a quiz or test in the future.

• Reading assignments can take a long time if you wait to read the material. By using your free time to read, you can start working on the essay portion of the assignment quickly.

Staying on Task

• If you like playing video or computer games, save it for after your homework. You want to keep your mind sharp so you can get good grades and still get it done as fast as possible.
• Social texting is pretty normal, but every time you break your concentration and do something else you’re making the time you have to spend on homework longer. Text the person back and let them know that you’ll get back to them when you’re done.

• The more you procrastinate the more that you’ll be stressed about not having enough time to finish all of your chores and your homework. Do it early so you can sit back, relax, and have a good time with your friends.

• Even though chores are important, education comes first. Do your homework before you do your chores when you get home.

• Don’t be rude. Explain to the person that you need to get your homework done or else it will affect your grades. You aren’t trying to be mean, you just want to stay on task.
• If you’re not used to telling people “no,” the only way to get used to it is to practice. Your friends will understand.

• Offer something in return for fewer chores, like better grades or A’s on your report card.
• If you have siblings try to trade chores with them.
• Don’t get mad at your parents if you realize that you have too many chores to get everything done. Simply explain to them first and then negotiate the alternatives.

Maintaining a Healthy Body and Mind

• Exercising can also be a hobby, like a sport that you enjoy. As long as you are getting out there and moving, it’s better than sitting around!
• Gym isn’t enough exercise for most people. Make sure that you take up another physical hobby like basketball, hockey, martial arts, tennis, dance, or something else that’s challenging. Try out different things to see what you like best. [5] X Research source

• Going outside and taking a 10-minute walk to get fresh air is a great thing to do when you take a break.

• If you are between the ages of 14 to 17 you'll need around 8 to 10 hours of sleep to feel fully rested. If you are over 17 you'll need at least 7 to 9 hours of sleep to feel good.

Expert Q&A

• Doing all three methods together will give you the most time to be social and practice your hobbies. Thanks Helpful 2 Not Helpful 0
• Try taking on an active or physical hobby so that you can stay active while still doing something you love. Thanks Helpful 2 Not Helpful 0
• On Friday you can relax since you have the entire weekend to do what you need! Thanks Helpful 3 Not Helpful 0

You Might Also Like

• ↑ Ashley Pritchard, MA. Academic & School Counselor. Expert Interview. 4 November 2019.
• ↑ http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21228167
• ↑ http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/press-releases/lack-of-physical-education-in-schools-concerns-parents/
• ↑ http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/mental-downtime/
• ↑ http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21075236

About This Article

To balance your homework and chores, start by creating a schedule of the work you have to do and the time you have available. Then, clear your study space of any games or electronics that might distract you, and try to focus on finishing your work as efficiently as possible. However, everyone needs breaks, so give yourself 5 minutes off every 30 minutes. Try to prioritize your homework over your chores, but talk to your parents if you feel overwhelmed by it all. Keep in mind that they may ask you to prove you’re doing your homework to justify getting out of chores! For more tips, including how to stay healthy during school term, read on! Did this summary help you? Yes No

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English EFL

Learn the Difference

Difference Between Homework and Housework

Intermediate

What’s the difference between  homework  and  housework ?

And at the end I’ll also tell you about a common mistake that English learners often make with homework and housework.

How To Use HOMEWORK In English

Homework refers to  schoolwork that you do at home.

So if you’re in class, your teacher might give you homework – maybe a worksheet, maybe a book/article to read, maybe an exercise to do or something to research – and then you do that homework outside of class, at home.

Homework is usually extra practice or an additional assignment to help you practice what you learned inside class, or take your learning further.

How To Use HOUSEWORK In English

Housework refers to the  physical tasks that are necessary to take care of your house or apartment , the place where you live. We usually use housework to refer to cooking, cleaning, and laundry (washing your clothes).

So homework is schoolwork you do at home, and housework involves maintaining your living space.

What About “Chores”?

One of my students asked if the word  chores  means the same thing as housework.

Yes – chores is another word we can use for those things that you have to do around the house. Washing dishes, sweeping the floor, cleaning the toilet, and so on. You probably don’t really enjoy them, but they need to get done.

And it’s also common to use this word chores you have a parent who makes their children help with these tasks. So the parent would say, “you have to do your chores.” You need to do those things around the house that you’re responsible for, like cleaning up your room or maybe helping with the laundry.

HOMEWORK And HOUSEWORK Are Always Singular!

Now here’s an important detail – the word chore is countable, so you can have one chore, two chores, three chores, or a lot of chores to do.

But homework and housework are BOTH considered  uncountable . So we  always  use them in the singular, always homework and housework,  never  homeworks or houseworks.

They are singular  even when they refer to multiple tasks.  So even if you have multiple assignments to do and multiple things to do in your house, it’s still only homework and housework.

You can talk about general quantity by saying  a little homework/housework or a lot of homework/housework  – but don’t use numbers, like “three homeworks,” and don’t add an S, “a lot of houseworks” – it’s not correct.

WORK / WORKS

This rule also applies to the word “work” – most of the time it’s singular.

Don’t say “I have a lot of  works  to do.” – the correct way would be “I have a lot of  work  to do.” You can say tasks, you can say projects, you can say assignments, you can say things – those can all be plural, but work is typically singular.

There’s one situation where we can say “works” and that’s specifically when we’re talking about works of art, works of music, or works of literature. So when we’re talking about productions in the artistic world, then sometimes we use works in the plural. For example, this is  one of Picasso’s greatest works of art.

But in everyday life, when talking about the work you have to do, it’s always work, singular and same with homework and housework, singular.

Now you know the difference between homework and housework – and remember, doing homework is really important for reviewing and practicing what you learn!

Course Curriculum

• Difference Between Homework and Housework 20 mins
• Difference Between Accept and Except 20 mins
• Difference Between Ad and Add 10 mins
• Difference Between Adapt and Adopt 30 mins

Passage One The topic of this paragraph is Millennials.

• They gravitate toward group activities.
• They identify with their parents' values and feel close to their parents.
• They spend more time doing homework and housework and less time watching TV.
• They believe it's cool to be smart.
• They are fascinated by new technologies.
• They are racially and ethnically diverse, and 20% have one immigrant parent.

Source: Helen Woodman, Ed., Basic Skills SPIN Newsletter , November, 2004, National Association for Developmental Education.

Passage Two The topic of this paragraph is personal digital assistants.

    Personal digital assistants (PDAs) are small, hand-held electronic organizers that come in a range of prices and capabilities. These lightweight computers are usually operated with a stylus, a special "pen." The most basic, inexpensive PDAs have monochromatic screens. They can be used to organize and store contact information, such as names, phone numbers, and email addresses. More expensive models have color screens and offer computer-like applications. For example, you can manage email and create documents. In addition, they include a calendar function that allows you to keep track of appointments and events. They feature the ability to play video and audio files. The most expensive PDAs also offer a phone function, including text messaging.

Passage Three The topic of this paragraph is prepaid debit cards for teenagers .

   A growing number of parents are using a new way to teach their teenagers to handle money wisely: a prepaid debit card. Parents put a certain amount of money on a Visa® or Mastercard® debit card, for example. Teens use it instead of cash. Purchases show up on their parents’ monthly statement, so parents can monitor how the money is being spent and how fast it is being spent. When the money is used up, parents can "reload" the card. Depending on the plan, parents may pay initial set-up fees, monthly fees, or transaction fees. They feel the safety, monitoring capability, and convenience are worth it.

Passage Four The topic of this paragraph is eating nutritious food .

   Are you in the habit of skipping breakfast? Breakfast is important; it gets your metabolism going. Then spread your remaining calories throughout the rest of the day by eating a wholesome lunch, nutritious snack, and balanced dinner. Eating this way keeps your metabolism high. You are also less likely to binge on junk food. You will have more energy and feel better if you eat nutritious food at least every four hours.

Passage Five The topic of this paragraph is college campuses and criminal activity and violence .

   College campuses can be the site of criminal activity and violence, so they require the same level of caution and awareness that you would use in other situations. Keep in mind that 80% of campus crimes are committed by one student against another student. Also, alcohol or drug use is involved in 90% of campus felonies. Drinking or drug use can affect judgment and lower inhibitions, so be aware if you or another person is under the influence.

Source: Adapted from Paul Insel and Walton Roth, Core Concepts on Health, Brief ed., 9 th ed., p. 387. Copyright © 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies.

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