phonetic

[ fuh-net-ik ]

See synonyms for: phonetic phonetics on Thesaurus.com

adjective

Also pho·net·i·cal [fuh-net-i-kuhl]. /fəˈnɛt ɪ kəl/. of or relating to speech sounds, their production, or their transcription in written symbols.
corresponding to pronunciation: phonetic transcription.

agreeing with pronunciation: phonetic spelling.
concerning or involving the discrimination of nondistinctive elements of a language. In English, certain phonological features, as length and aspiration, are phonetic but not phonemic.

noun

(in Chinese writing) a written element that represents a sound and is used in combination with a radical to form a character.

Origin of phonetic

First recorded in 1820–30; from New Latin phōnēticus, from Greek phōnētikós “vocal,” equivalent to phōnēt(ós) “to be spoken” (verbid of phōneîn “to speak”) + -ikos adjective suffix; see -ic

Other words from phonetic

pho·net·i·cal·ly, adverb
non·pho·net·ic, adjective
non·pho·net·i·cal, adjective
un·pho·net·ic, adjective
un·pho·net·i·cal, adjective

Words that may be confused with phonetic

fanatic, phonetic

Words Nearby phonetic

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use phonetic in a sentence

The company’s name is a play on the phonetics of 1, 2, 3 in Spanish.
1Doc3, a Colombian telemedicine startup, raises $3 million | Marcella McCarthy | April 16, 2021 | TechCrunch
That is, though she sometimes begins either with an ancient ideographic character or even with the modern phonetic characters to set the mood or theme of her work, she then allows hand and imagination free play.
Toko Shinoda, Japanese artist who merged the age-old and the avant-garde, dies at 107 | Emily Langer | March 4, 2021 | Washington Post
phonetic, made-up lyrics are another venerable tradition of folk music, and “pa-rum-pa-pa-pum” is iconic of the genre.
Yes, I Like Christmas Music. Stop Laughing. | Michael Tomasky | December 24, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Instead of printing, they take the direct photography of events and the phonetic impression of words.
Urania | Camille Flammarion
There is only a phonetic distinction between the Spanish and the Portuguese idea.
Spanish Life in Town and Country | L. Higgin and Eugne E. Street

These tones help to distinguish words which have the same phonetic sound but different meanings.
Chinese Poems | Various
If phonetic spelling is commenced with the alphabet, he will be accurately trained in that art also.
Thoughts on Educational Topics and Institutions | George S. Boutwell
There are many phonetic alphabets; all else being equal, the one most widely used is clearly the most valuable.
The Sounds of Spoken English | Walter Rippmann

British Dictionary definitions for phonetic

phonetic

/ (fəˈnɛtɪk) /

adjective

of or relating to phonetics
denoting any perceptible distinction between one speech sound and another, irrespective of whether the sounds are phonemes or allophones: Compare phonemic (def. 2)

conforming to pronunciation: phonetic spelling

Origin of phonetic

C19: from New Latin phōnēticus, from Greek phōnētikos, from phōnein to make sounds, speak

Derived forms of phonetic

phonetically, adverb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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