phonetic

adjective

pho·​net·​ic fə-ˈne-tik How to pronounce phonetic (audio)
1
: representing the sounds and other phenomena of speech: such as
a
: constituting an alteration of ordinary spelling that better represents the spoken language, that employs only characters of the regular alphabet, and that is used in a context of conventional spelling
b
: representing speech sounds by means of symbols that have one value only
c
: employing for speech sounds more than the minimum number of symbols necessary to represent the significant differences in a speaker's speech
2
a
: of or relating to spoken language or speech sounds
b
: of or relating to the science of phonetics

Did you know?

The English alphabet is phonetic—that is, the letters represent sounds. The Chinese alphabet, however, isn't phonetic, since its symbols represent ideas rather than sounds. But even in English, a letter doesn't always represent the same sound; the "a" in cat, father, and mate, for example, represents three different sounds. Because of this, books about words often use specially created phonetic alphabets in which each symbol stands for a single sound in order to represent pronunciations.

Examples of phonetic in a Sentence

the phonetic units of a language This dictionary uses the International Phonetic Alphabet. Spanish is a more phonetic language than English.
Recent Examples on the Web Simon’s concerto was especially vivid in Milan, its vaguely phonetic two-note salvo sounding an alarm that scarcely relented. Michael Andor Brodeur, Washington Post, 6 Mar. 2024 Signature stalwart Erin Weaver, cast as a male soldier named King who becomes Jones’s spotter, deserves another Helen Hayes Award for her innumerable phonetic variations on a particular four-letter word. Chris Klimek, Washington Post, 15 Feb. 2024 This includes preferred pronouns and phonetic pronunciations of names to avoid any mix-ups. Shelby Wax, Vogue, 3 Jan. 2024 Their phonetic systems were housed in vertical tubes that supplied warm, moist air similar to the air that enters the body when breathing. Jorge Garay, WIRED, 31 Oct. 2023 Meanwhile, when children study French or English, both phonetic languages with a strong connection between spelling and pronunciation, they’re encouraged to sound out words letter by letter. Jamie Dickman, Popular Science, 11 Apr. 2023 As a vocalist, not unlike Kurt Cobain, Lil B treats words like lingual playdough, slurring his choruses into phonetic amoebas that everyone hears differently; thus, each listener’s personal perception becomes reality. Jonathan Rowe, Spin, 11 Aug. 2023 The linguists then analyzed character sequences to determine the phonetic value of individual characters. Tim Newcomb, Popular Mechanics, 14 July 2023 On one recent Friday back at P.S. 11, Anthony left his morning reading class about halfway through, as his teacher began running through flash cards on phonetic sounds, to head to his special literacy lesson with another student. Troy Closson, New York Times, 9 Feb. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'phonetic.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from New Latin phōnēticus "(of written characters) representing speech sounds rather than ideas," borrowed from Greek phōnētikós "of speech, endowed with speech," from phōnē-, variant stem of phōnéō, phoneîn "to speak, utter " (derivative of phōnḗ "sound made by something living, voice, speech, utterance") + -t-, verbal adjective formative + -ikos -ic entry 1 — more at phono-

First Known Use

1802, in the meaning defined at sense 2a

Time Traveler
The first known use of phonetic was in 1802

Dictionary Entries Near phonetic

Cite this Entry

“Phonetic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/phonetic. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

phonetic

adjective
pho·​net·​ic fə-ˈnet-ik How to pronounce phonetic (audio)
1
a
: of or relating to spoken language or speech sounds
phonetic differences between Old English and Modern English
b
: of or relating to phonetics
2
: representing speech sounds
phonetic spelling
phonetically adverb
Etymology

from modern Latin phoneticus "relating to speech sounds," from Greek phōnētikos (same meaning), derived from phōnē "voice, sound" — related to euphony, symphony

Medical Definition

phonetic

adjective
pho·​net·​ic fə-ˈnet-ik How to pronounce phonetic (audio)
1
a
: of or relating to spoken language or speech sounds
b
: of or relating to the science of phonetics
2
: representing the sounds and other phenomena of speech
phonetically adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on phonetic

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