phonebook

/ˈfoʊnˌbʊk/

//ˈfoʊnˌbʊk// noun

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

"phonebook" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“phonebook” is uncommon English (frequency #82,663 among 46,516 “P” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#82,663
frequency rank, English
46,516
“P” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A directory of all the phone numbers used in a district.

Key facts for phonebook
PropertyValue
Headwordphonebook
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈfoʊnˌbʊk/
Letters9
Frequency rank#82,663
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “phonebook” 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). phonebook 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

phonebook is uncommon English at frequency #82,663 among 46,516 “P” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈfoʊnˌbʊk/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for phonebook, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: From phone + book. The correct English form is phonebook, spelled P-H-O-N-E-B-O-O-K.

Definition

  1. 1
    A directory of all the phone numbers used in a district.
  2. 2
    A large lookup table.

Etymology

From phone + book.

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 "phonebook"?
"phonebook" is spelled P-H-O-N-E-B-O-O-K. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈfoʊnˌbʊk/.
What does "phonebook" mean?
As a noun, "phonebook" means: A directory of all the phone numbers used in a district.
How do you pronounce "phonebook"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "phonebook" is /ˈfoʊnˌbʊk/. 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 "phonebook"?
From phone + book. 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 “phonebook”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is P-H-O-N-E-B-O-O-K - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈfoʊnˌbʊk/ (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