Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

broken telephone

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: 4.28 in modern English

Syllables: bro-ken tele-phone
IPA

26

Scrabble Score

15

Letters

3

Syllables

10

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

Synonym of Chinese whispers (in either sense)

Uncountable

noun

Alternative form of broken telephone.

Uncountable

Example Sentences

"The number of attendees remains unconfirmed by Toronto police, the City of Toronto, and Pride Toronto organizers. So how did the media get it wrong? The erroneous news reports were a case of broken telephone that can be traced back to a 2009 estimate, which states that Pride week drew 1,120,000 visits."
"Our kids are playing the world's most complex game of Broken Telephone. And they will need to know that hearing is not the same thing as listening, especially when we're gossiping with hyperconnected digital tools."

Usage

Uncountable

Synonyms

Chinese whispers

Questions

What does broken telephone mean?: Synonym of Chinese whispers (in either sense)

How to pronounce broken telephone

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “broken telephone”.
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 “broken telephone”.
Repeat and practice — Say “broken telephone” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.