Phrasal verb
Work out
What does 'work out' mean?
'Work out' can mean calculate, understand, exercise, or develop towards a result. The surrounding words show the meaning. For example, 'She worked out the total before paying' means she calculated it. Use 'work it out' for a pronoun, but use 'work out' when describing exercise or a situation's result.
Key points
- 'Work out' can describe calculation or reaching an answer.
- A person can 'work out' to improve fitness.
- A situation can 'work out' well or badly.
- Put 'it' or 'them' between 'work' and 'out'.
Can you use "Work out" yourself?
Listen to a recording, type what you hear, and check your answer.
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The full explanation
Work out can mean calculate an amount, find an answer through thought, exercise, or develop in a particular way. The surrounding sentence tells you which meaning fits.
We worked out the price of renting a room.
Why it works: The price makes calculation the likely meaning.
3 more examples
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I finally worked out why the door would not close.
The speaker discovered the reason.
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My neighbor works out at home.
The neighbor exercises.
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Our shared office worked out well.
The arrangement had a good result.
Read the full guide
Try the listening exercise
Choose the meaning from the nearby words
Start with the whole message, rather than choosing one meaning for work out every time. At a community center, someone might work out a room price, work out why a door is locked, or work out in an exercise class. Look for an amount, a problem, physical activity, or a result.
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We need to work out the room cost.
Why it works: An amount needs calculating.
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People work out in the room upstairs.
Why it works: Here the people exercise.
Your turn
In 'We worked out the ticket price,' what does worked out mean?
Answer: Calculated
Show the answer
Answer: Calculated
The ticket price is an amount that the speakers calculated.
Use work out when an amount needs calculating
Use work out when you find an amount from information you already have. You might add room hire and food costs, or divide a bill between friends. The phrase does not tell us whether you used paper, a phone, or mental arithmetic. It describes finding the amount, rather than simply guessing it.
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Can you work out how much each guest should pay?
Why it works: The speaker wants a calculation using the available costs.
This also comes up in Phase out and Changing a plan.
Your turn
You have all the prices and need an exact total. What fits?
Answer: Work out the total.
Show the answer
Answer: Work out the total.
Work out asks someone to calculate; guessing does not require using the prices.
Use work out to explain a problem
Work out also describes reaching an answer by thinking. There may be no numbers involved. You can work out why something happened or how to do something. Compare this with find out, which can describe getting information by asking someone. Work out puts more attention on the thinking that produces an answer.
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I worked out why the cupboard was wet.
Why it works: I understood the cause after thinking about the evidence.
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I found out the opening time by calling the office.
Why it works: I got information from another person.
Your turn
Which situation most clearly involves working out an answer?
Answer: You compare two keys and understand why one fails.
Show the answer
Answer: You compare two keys and understand why one fails.
Comparing the keys helps you reach an explanation through thought.
Put it and them between work and out
When work out means calculate or understand, a short noun phrase can go after out or between the two words. Both work out the cost and work the cost out are natural. With it or them, use the middle position. Keep a longer question phrase after out, as in work out why the light is off.
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The delivery costs are confusing, but we can work them out.
Why it works: Them replaces the costs and goes in the middle.
Your turn
Which sentence has the correct position for it?
Answer: I can work it out.
Show the answer
Answer: I can work it out.
A pronoun such as it must go between work and out in this use.
Check who or what works out
Without an object, check the subject and the situation. A person who works out regularly is usually exercising. An arrangement that works out well develops with a good result. These uses do not need something after out. Also keep work and work out separate: working at a sports center may mean having a job there.
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I work out before my evening shift.
Why it works: Exercise happens before the speaker's job.
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The later meeting time worked out well.
Why it works: The new time suited the people involved.
Your turn
What does 'The room change worked out well' tell you?
Answer: The change had a good result.
Show the answer
Answer: The change had a good result.
The subject is a change, so worked out describes how that change developed.
Listen for it, out, and the verb ending
In speech, work it out can sound like one connected group. Listen for the short word it between the two main words. In worked out, the past ending is a t sound, even though the spelling is ed. Use time words such as yesterday as extra clues, but write every word you actually hear.
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We worked it out yesterday.
Why it works: Listen for both the past ending and it.
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She works out after lunch.
Why it works: The s ending belongs to works; there is no object.
Your turn
Which written phrase includes a past ending and a pronoun?
Answer: worked it out
Show the answer
Answer: worked it out
Worked carries the past ending, and it appears before out.
Make your meaning clear in a message
In an everyday message, add enough detail to show the intended meaning. We worked it out needs an earlier problem or amount for it to refer to. Everything worked out can describe a successful result, while worked out badly describes an unsuccessful one. After reading a model, cover it and write a new sentence about your own situation.
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The room booking worked out badly because the building closed early.
Why it works: Badly makes the unsuccessful result explicit.
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I had a short workout before breakfast.
Why it works: Workout is a one-word noun for an exercise session.
Your turn
Which sentence correctly uses the noun for an exercise session?
Answer: I had a workout.
Show the answer
Answer: I had a workout.
After a, use the noun workout. The verb in the last option needs two words.
Other meanings of "work out"
This lesson practises one meaning. You may also hear these.
Understand or discover an answer through thought
He worked out how to open the safe.
Exercise to improve or maintain fitness
They work out at the leisure centre.
Develop in a particular way or have a result
The new timetable worked out badly.
Common mistakes with "work out"
What learners often say, what to say instead, and why.
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Not this:
I can work out it now.Say: I can work it out now.
A pronoun such as 'it' must go between 'work' and 'out'.
-
Not this:
She worksout every morning.Say: She works out every morning.
'Work out' is a two-word verb, including when it means exercise.
-
Not this:
We worked the problem out it.Say: We worked the problem out.
The noun phrase can follow 'out', but an extra pronoun is incorrect.
-
Not this:
I had a work out after lunch.Say: I had a workout after lunch.
'Workout' is one word when it is the noun for an exercise session.
Before you go
Remember this
Use work something out to calculate or understand. Put it and them in the middle. A person can work out to exercise, and a situation can work out well or badly. To check your choice, replace the phrase with calculate, understand, exercise, or develop and see which meaning fits.
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Listening 1 of 4
Listen, then type what you hear. Replay as often as you need.
0:00
- I finally worked out why the door would not close.
- My neighbor works out at home.
Read the transcript
Can you work out the bill before we leave?
Work out means calculate here. Write the full request, including the time phrase.
Listen for
At natural speed these words change shape. Tap one to hear it again.
- The last sound of the first word runs straight into the next word.
- The final t or d is barely said before the next consonant.
Listen for
At natural speed these words change shape. Tap one to hear it again.
- The last sound of the first word runs straight into the next word.
- The final t or d is barely said before the next consonant.
Listen for
At natural speed these words change shape. Tap one to hear it again.
- The last sound of the first word runs straight into the next word.
- The final t or d is barely said before the next consonant.
Listening 2 of 4
Listen, then type what you hear. Replay as often as you need.
0:00
- I finally worked out why the door would not close.
- My neighbor works out at home.
Read the transcript
I work out at home before breakfast.
Work out means exercise. It is a two-word verb, followed by a place and a time.
Listen for
At natural speed these words change shape. Tap one to hear it again.
- The last sound of the first word runs straight into the next word.
- The last sound of the first word runs straight into the next word.
- The final t or d is barely said before the next consonant.
Listen for
At natural speed these words change shape. Tap one to hear it again.
- The last sound of the first word runs straight into the next word.
- The last sound of the first word runs straight into the next word.
- The final t or d is barely said before the next consonant.
Listen for
At natural speed these words change shape. Tap one to hear it again.
- The last sound of the first word runs straight into the next word.
- The last sound of the first word runs straight into the next word.
- The final t or d is barely said before the next consonant.
Try a longer clip. Listen once, then replay the part you missed.
Listening 3 of 4
Listen, then type what you hear. Replay as often as you need.
0:00
- I finally worked out why the door would not close.
- My neighbor works out at home.
Read the transcript
I could not work out why the printer had stopped. Then I opened the back and found some paper inside. It works again now.
Work out introduces a cause the speaker initially could not understand. The later sentences explain the discovery and current result.
Listen for
At natural speed these words change shape. Tap one to hear it again.
- The last sound of the first word runs straight into the next word.
- The last sound of the first word runs straight into the next word.
- The last sound of the first word runs straight into the next word.
Listen for
At natural speed these words change shape. Tap one to hear it again.
- The last sound of the first word runs straight into the next word.
- The last sound of the first word runs straight into the next word.
- The last sound of the first word runs straight into the next word.
Listen for
At natural speed these words change shape. Tap one to hear it again.
- The last sound of the first word runs straight into the next word.
- The last sound of the first word runs straight into the next word.
- The last sound of the first word runs straight into the next word.
This clip is longer. Follow the instruction above the answer field.
Listening 4 of 4
Listen, then type the missing words. The rest of the text is already there.
0:00
- I finally worked out why the door would not close.
- My neighbor works out at home.
Read the transcript
We planned to have dinner in the garden, but it started raining before the guests arrived. I worked out that we could fit everyone around the kitchen table if we moved two chairs. We thought about renting an extra table, but our neighbor brought a folding one. In the end, the evening worked out well, and everyone stayed to help wash the dishes.
Worked out first describes reaching a practical answer. Later, worked out well describes the successful evening. Transcribe both uses and the details connecting them.
Listen for
At natural speed these words change shape. Tap one to hear it again.
- The last sound of the first word runs straight into the next word.
- The last sound of the first word runs straight into the next word.
- The last sound of the first word runs straight into the next word.
Listen for
At natural speed these words change shape. Tap one to hear it again.
- The last sound of the first word runs straight into the next word.
- The last sound of the first word runs straight into the next word.
- The last sound of the first word runs straight into the next word.
Listen for
At natural speed these words change shape. Tap one to hear it again.
- The last sound of the first word runs straight into the next word.
- The last sound of the first word runs straight into the next word.
- The last sound of the first word runs straight into the next word.
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Save my progressYour turn
Say it your way
Speak for 20-30 seconds about planning a small picnic with friends. Say what cost you need to work out and how you will calculate it.
Use: work out
You could start with “Before our picnic, we need to work out…”
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Can you work out the bill before we leave?
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Put it in your own words
- I used “work out”.
- It is about my life, not the lesson’s example.
- I read it once aloud to check it sounds right.
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Questions about "Work out"
Why can I say work the answer out but not work out it?
A noun phrase such as the answer can go in either position. A pronoun such as it or them must go between work and out when the phrase means calculate or understand something.
Please work the answer out before dinner.
Please work it out before dinner.
Does worked out always mean that something went well?
No. It can describe how a situation developed, with words such as well or badly showing the result. Without extra detail, it worked out often suggests success. Listen to the full sentence before choosing the meaning.
The new arrangement worked out badly.
We had some problems, but everything worked out.
Can I use work out for exercise at home?
Yes. Work out does not require a gym. It usually describes exercise done to improve or maintain fitness. Add a place or time if useful, and keep the verb as two words.
I work out in my living room.
She works out before the children wake up.
What does I cannot work him out mean?
It means you cannot understand his behavior or what he is thinking. This is an understanding use, not an exercise use. Because him is a pronoun, it goes between work and out.
He keeps changing his plans, and I cannot work him out.
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