While there is a general agreement on what it means, there is a great divide on how to spell it. From dictionaries to Google to pop culture, let’s see if we can settle a debate about a word that describes what millions of people do every day.

Let’s start with a definition

Whether spelled as one or two words, shiftwork is a compound word that describes either:

1. Work comprising recurring periods in which different groups of workers do the same jobs in rotation[1], or;
2. A work schedule that falls outside the hours of 7 am and 6 pm[2]

These definitions are well established. It’s estimated that approximately 15-20% of employees in the industrialized world qualify as shift workers. We’re talking about millions of people around the globe who work either ‘shiftwork’ or ‘shift work’.

What does Google say?

When searching on Google, “shift work” has about 12,800,000 results and all iterations of the term on the first page of the Google search use the two-word spelling except for one result – the YouTube video of the classic tune “Shiftwork” sung by Kenny Chesney.[3]

In comparison, when searching on Google, “shiftwork” has only 663,000 results and three of the ten results on the first page spell the term with two words.

Even dictionaries can’t make up their minds

Every year dictionaries add hundreds of new words, turning newfangled terms into official words. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the word “shiftwork” (spelled as one word) was first used in the early 1700s, and centuries later, there is still no consensus on its spelling.

Muddying the waters even further, dictionaries do not align with each other about whether shiftwork should be spelled “shiftwork” or “shift work”. The Cambridge and Free (a.k.a. Wiktionary) Dictionaries acknowledge both spelling versions of the word, the Urban Dictionary spells it with two words only, and the Britannica and Merriam-Webster Dictionaries do not define either version of the word.

Figure 1: The Cambridge Dictionary acknowledges shiftwork as an open (shift work) and closed (shiftwork) compound word

Such vast disagreement between these formal research resources provides fuel to the debate.

Birds of a feather

The shiftwork vs. shift work debate is not the only compound word spelled as both one and two words in a seemingly ad hoc fashion. Night shift also has the distinction of being spelled as one (nightshift) or two words (night shift). Although unlike the shift work vs shiftwork debate, most dictionaries agree and spell night shift with two words. Like shiftwork, the word “nightshift” has a song named after it. The tune “Nightshift” was made popular by the Commodores[4] in 1985. Unlike the song, “Shiftwork”, the lyrics to “Nightshift” mirror the song’s title and use the one-word spelling despite most research resources spelling it with two words.

Word Etiology Theories

1. Evolution of a word: Compound words can be open or closed. Open compound words retain a space between two words (e.g., “shift work”) while closed compound words become one word (e.g., “shiftwork”). Some sources[5] say that open compound words are normally newer terms and become closed over time and closed compound words are more established.
   
   

Yet, the word shiftwork reportedly originated in the 1700s as a closed compound word and has not yet been universally adopted.

2. Parts of speech: Some sources[6] say that the spelling of shiftwork is determined by the context in which the word is used and English grammar rules. Open compound words are usually nouns while closed compound words can be found in almost every part of speech.  When used to describe the concept of working in shifts, it would therefore be spelled with two words. For example, the sentence, “My job requires me to do shift work (n.), so I feel tired at times” uses a two-word spelling when shift work is a noun. In contrast, the sentence, “Andrew’s shiftwork (adj.) schedule is very tiring to him” uses the one-word spelling when shiftwork is used as an adjective.
   
   
3. Ease of comprehension and clarity: Compound words like “shiftwork” are formed when two words are combined to create a new word with a distinct meaning. Combining two words into one often leads to an ease of comprehension and clarity. For example, “afternoon” and “weekend” are self-explanatory compound words making two ideas simpler by being combined into one word. Contrast those with a word like “bookworm” and you soon realize that not all compound words are equally intuitive.
   
   

Shiftwork, whether a noun or an adjective, is an example of an intuitive compound word but according to Google, it is used more frequently as an open compound word.

Which side do you fall?

Whether you spell “shiftwork” as one or two words will depend on the conventions you follow. But is there more to it than this? Are there regional differences? It would be interesting to find out!

Do you open or close the word? Let us know by sending an email to info@circadian.com – tell us where you’re from and how you spell it. We’ll report the findings!

Next Steps: Best Shiftwork (Shift Work?) Practices Workshop

If you want to learn more about best Shiftwork (or Shift Work), Fatigue Risk Management, and Shift Scheduling Practices, consider scheduling an on-site CIRCADIAN workshop.

CIRCADIAN provides a variety of management workshops to help showcase best practices for optimizing the health, safety, and performance of your shift workers.

Learn more about our Shiftwork Scheduling and Staffing Best Practices Workshop here.

Or reach out to us here!

[1] Oxford Languages definition from Google search “definition of shiftwork” and “definition of shift work”

[2] Retrieved from: https://www.sleepfoundation.org/shift-work-disorder/what-shift-work

[3] Interestingly enough, the song Shiftwork is spelled with one word, but the lyrics spell it using two words and read, “Shift work, hard work, tired body…”

[4] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FrkEDe6Ljqs&ab_channel=CommodoresVEVO

[5] Caulfield, J. (2023, September 18). Compound Words | Types, List & Definition. Scribbr. Retrieved July 10, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/language-rules/compound-words/

[6] https://ranking-articles.com/compound-words-2/