Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

telephonitis

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 0.00 in modern English

Syllables: tele-phoni-tis
IPA

17

Scrabble Score

12

Letters

3

Syllables

9

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A tendency to use the telephone excessively.

Humorous; Uncountable

Example Sentences

"Ever since Saturday the A. J. Favaloro family has been suffering from an acute case of "telephonitis." The telephone began ringing at 5 a.m. Saturday and has hardly stopped since."
"AT&T may have found the solution to that teen-age disease dreaded by parents across the country — telephonitis."
"Telephonitis was the most important clue among several suggesting that a person observed one Friday evening might be under the influence. He was talking almost incessantly on his cell phone in the middle of a small-town restaurant […]"

Etymology

From telephone + -itis, as though it were a medical condition.

Word Breakdown

Suffix: telephone

Usage

Questions

What does telephonitis mean?: A tendency to use the telephone excessively.
Where does telephonitis come from?: From telephone + -itis, as though it were a medical condition.

How to pronounce telephonitis

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “telephonitis”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “telephonitis”.
Repeat and practice — Say “telephonitis” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.