Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

dial up

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.93 in modern English

Syllables: di-al up
IPA

9

Scrabble Score

6

Letters

2

Syllables

6

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To telephone, to call on the telephone.

verb

To connect a computer to a modem.

verb

To increase the level (of something) by turning a dial, or (figuratively) as if by turning a dial.

Example Sentences

"The written instructions weren't clear, so I dialed her up and asked her to explain what she meant."
"In those days it took three minutes just to dial up, and every minute you were connected was costing you a higher phone bill."
"Near-synonym: ratchet up"
"These comments are guaranteed to dial up the animosity."
"Think Bernie Sanders versus Kamala Harris, but dialled up to France where revolution is part of the national psyche."

Inflected Forms

dials up (present, singular) dialing up (US, participle) dialling up (UK, participle) dialed up (US, participle) dialed up (US, past) dialled up (UK, participle) dialled up (UK, past)

Synonyms

give a ring phone ring ring up ratchet up

Antonyms

dial back

Questions

What does dial up mean?: To telephone, to call on the telephone.

How to pronounce dial up

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “dial up”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
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