Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

busy signal

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.38 in modern English

Syllables: busy sig-nal
IPA

16

Scrabble Score

10

Letters

2

Syllables

9

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

An audible signal to the calling party that indicates failure to complete the requested connection; an engaged tone.

American usage

Usage

American usage

Inflected Forms

busy signals (plural)

Phrases

fast busy signal

Synonyms

engaged tone

Questions

What does busy signal mean?: An audible signal to the calling party that indicates failure to complete the requested connection; an engaged tone.

How to pronounce busy signal

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