dictaphone

/ˈdɪktəfəʊn/

//ˈdɪktəfəʊn// noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"dictaphone" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“dictaphone” is uncommon English (frequency #83,186 among 26,416 “D” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#83,186
frequency rank, English
26,416
“D” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A dictation machine.

Key facts for dictaphone
PropertyValue
Headworddictaphone
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈdɪktəfəʊn/
Letters10
Frequency rank#83,186
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “dictaphone” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). dictaphone lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

dictaphone is uncommon English at frequency #83,186 among 26,416 “D” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈdɪktəfəʊn/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A dictation machine.".

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for dictaphone, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: Early 20th century, originally a trademarked name for a type of dictation machine, presumably from dictate and -phone. The correct English form is dictaphone, spelled D-I-C-T-A-P-H-O-N-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A dictation machine.

Etymology

Early 20th century, originally a trademarked name for a type of dictation machine, presumably from dictate and -phone.

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "dictaphone"?
"dictaphone" is spelled D-I-C-T-A-P-H-O-N-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈdɪktəfəʊn/.
What does "dictaphone" mean?
As a noun, "dictaphone" means: A dictation machine.
How do you pronounce "dictaphone"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "dictaphone" is /ˈdɪktəfəʊn/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "dictaphone"?
Early 20th century, originally a trademarked name for a type of dictation machine, presumably from dictate and -phone. See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Using “dictaphone”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is D-I-C-T-A-P-H-O-N-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈdɪktəfəʊn/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Other uncommon English words near this rank

Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list