911
/ˌnaɪ̯n wən ˈwən/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: 2.91 in modern English
0
Scrabble Score
0
Letters
1
Syllables
0
Unique Chars
Meaning
name
The telephone number for emergency services in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Belize, Costa Rica, Argentina, Uruguay, Ecuador, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, Liberia, Ethiopia, the Philippines, Anguilla, Palau, and Tonga.
noun
Emergency services; emergency service personnel.
Canadian usage; American usage; Countable; Uncountable
name
A prominent family of sports cars manufactured by Porsche.
Example Sentences
- "When you call 911 in the United States, a local dispatcher usually answers the phone with "911" or "911. What's your emergency?""
- "After witnessing what was possibly a robbery, she called 911."
- "I don't know why they couldn't just keep it as it was! How hard is it to remember 911? You mean 999... I mean 999! That's the American one! Yeah!"
- "Well, look, I wear a mask, I try not to be a maskhole about it. If I see — if I see somebody who doesn't have a mask, I don't call 911."
- "Many still assume that “you call 988 and — much like 911 — that means someone is going to be dispatched to you,” said Hannah Wesolowski, NAMI’s chief advocacy officer. “For the vast majority — almost all callers — that’s not actually the case.”"
- "911 is sending an ambulance."
Etymology
Chosen by the United States in the 1960s in place of the older British 999 number as a better way to avoid accidental calls from push-button telephones. It is officially pronounced "nine-one-one" and not "nine-eleven;" the latter refers to the September 11, 2001 attacks in New York and Washington, but the pronunciation "nine-one-one" for the phone number was universal even prior to the attacks. 9/11 is universally distinguished from 911 to refer the September 11 attacks. Officially written as 9-1-1 in regulations and materials from the United States National Emergency Number Association and Federal Communications Commission, which is also advocated by some media style guides.
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: Neunelfer
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˌnaɪ̯n wən ˈwən/
Usage
- Canadian usage
- American usage
- Countable
- Uncountable
- Colloquial
Subject
Wiktionary places this term in Law.
Inflected Forms
Frequently Paired Words
Synonyms
Porsche 911