Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

personal computer

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.77 in modern English

Syllables: per-son-al -com-put-er
IPA

24

Scrabble Score

16

Letters

6

Syllables

12

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A computer for use by one person at a time (using a microprocessor).

noun

A computer for use by one person at a time (using a microprocessor).

noun

A computer for use by one person at a time (using a microprocessor).

Dated

Example Sentences

"Near-synonyms: desktop computer, microcomputer"
"He is working on an important project on his personal computer."
"“There is no reason to suppose the average boy or girl cannot be master of a personal computer,” he said."
"Meanwhile the research center is nifty as ever. Virtuoso Peter Deutsch is working on interactive systems for secretaries. They're part way along on the Dynabook fantasy with a working personal computer the size of a breadbox."
"Morse did confirm that the Amiga personal computer will have 128K of random-access memory (RAM) and a single 5¼-inch disk drive with 320K storage."

Etymology

Often attributed to Stewart Brand (1974), but in use before (see quotations).

Usage

Dated

Subject

Wiktionary places this term in Computing.

Inflected Forms

personal computers (plural)

Frequently Paired Words

mainframe minicomputer workstation

Synonyms

PC desktop computer microcomputer PC clone IBM PC clone

Questions

What does personal computer mean?: A computer for use by one person at a time (using a microprocessor).
Where does personal computer come from?: Often attributed to Stewart Brand (1974), but in use before (see quotations).

How to pronounce personal computer

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “personal computer”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
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Repeat and practice — Say “personal computer” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.