Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

touch-tone

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.35 in modern English

Syllables
touch--tone
IPA
14
Scrabble Score
9
Letters
3
Syllables
7
Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

Relating to a type of telephone with buttons, each of which produces a tone which corresponds to the relevant digit.

noun

A telephone with buttons that produce tones, one for each digit.

noun

A tone produced by such a telephone.

Example Sentences

Etymology

By genericization from the trade name Touch-Tone, 1960.

Inflected Forms

touchtone (alternative) touch-tones (plural)

Phrases

rotary dial

Frequently Paired Words

rotary dial

Questions

What does touch-tone mean?
Relating to a type of telephone with buttons, each of which produces a tone which corresponds to the relevant digit.
Where does touch-tone come from?
By genericization from the trade name Touch-Tone, 1960.

How to pronounce touch-tone

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “touch-tone”.
  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 “touch-tone”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “touch-tone” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.