Labor and labour are actually both correct spellings to refer to the noun that means, “work”, (typically arduous physical work).
Which is correct: labor or labour?
Labor and labour are both recognized spellings; the difference is where they’re used:
- UK English spells “labour” with the “u”.
- US English spells “labor” without the “u”.
Other “-our”/”-or” words
Other words that share the “-our” / “-or” suffix follow the same spelling convention:
| UK English | US English |
| favour | favor |
| labour | labor |
| behaviour | behavior |
| colour | color |
| neighbour | neighbor |
| endeavour | endeavor |
Verb forms of labour/labor
Other verb/noun forms of labour/labor follow the same spelling pattern:
| US English | labor, labored, laboring, labors. |
| UK English | labour, laboured, labouring, labours. |
Sentences using labour as a noun
The price will include the labour/labor and materials.
The company wants to keep down labour/labor costs.
The workers voted to withdraw their labour/labor.
Companies are making huge profits by exploiting cheap labour/labor in poor countries.
Sentences using labour as a verb
He was in his study labouring/laboring away over some old papers.
They laboured/labored for years to clear their son’s name.
With the engine labouring/laboring, the car struggled up the hill.
The horses laboured/labored up the steep slope.
Synonyms of labour
- work
- employment
- exertion
- hard work
- toil
- industry
- effort
- grind away
- endeavour
Phrases with the word labour (or labor)
| Phrase | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Labor Day | A federal holiday in the US celebrated on the first Monday of every September to honour and recognize the American Labor Movement. |
| a labor of love | Work done from love or passion rather than money or some other motivation. |
| green labour | A phrase to describe people that are new in the workplace and “fresh” (or uninfluenced by previous work experience). |
| to labour away at something | To work diligently or tirelessly at something. |
| to induce labour (to give birth) | To cause a pregnant woman to begin the birthing process. |
| to labour the point | To talk about or emphasize something excessively or repetitively, |
| to labour under the illusion or delusion of something | To operate or live under a belief or conviction of some kind. |
| the fruit of one’s labour | Meaning the outcome or result of one’s efforts or hard work. |
The origin of labour
From Etymonline:
c. 1300, “a task, a project” (such as the labors of Hercules); later “exertion of the body; trouble, difficulty, hardship” (late 14c.), from Old French labor “toil, work, exertion, task; tribulation, suffering” (12c., Modern French labeur), from Latin labor “toil, exertion; hardship, pain, fatigue; a work, a product of labor,” a word of uncertain origin.
Learn more about US English vs. UK English
- Which is it: “Favorite” or “Favourite”?
- Is it Spelled Metre or Meter?
- Which is Correct: Honour or Honor?
- Is it “Behaviour” or “Behavior”?
- Color or Colour (Which is Correct?)
- Favour or Favor (Which is Correct?)
Sources
- Harper, Douglas. “Etymology of labor.” Online Etymology Dictionary, Accessed 19 January, 2024.
- Wikipedia contributors. “Labor Day.” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 2 Dec. 2023. Web. 21 Jan. 2024.
