Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

by the numbers

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.97 in modern English

Syllables
by the num-bers
IPA
24
Scrabble Score
12
Letters
2
Syllables
10
Unique Chars

Meaning

prep_phrase

exactly, precisely, or in a formulaic way.

Etymology

The origin of this phrase goes back to the American Revolutionary War where a book containing numbered positions for rifle and bayonet practice was used to train soldiers. In the book, each diagram was numbered.

Inflected Forms

by-the-numbers (alternative)

Phrases

paint-by-numbers

Frequently Paired Words

paint-by-numbers

Synonyms

by the book by numbers

Questions

What does by the numbers mean?
exactly, precisely, or in a formulaic way.
Where does by the numbers come from?
The origin of this phrase goes back to the American Revolutionary War where a book containing numbered positions for rifle and bayonet practice was used to train soldiers. In the book, each diagram was numbered.

How to pronounce by the numbers

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