phonetic

[fuh-net-ik]

adjective

1. Also phonetical of or relating to speech sounds, their production, or their transcription in written symbols.

2. corresponding to pronunciation.

   phonetic transcription.

3. agreeing with pronunciation.

   phonetic spelling.

4. 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

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

phonetic

/ fəˈnɛtɪk /

adjective

1. of or relating to phonetics

2. denoting any perceptible distinction between one speech sound and another, irrespective of whether the sounds are phonemes or allophones Compare phonemic

3. conforming to pronunciation

   phonetic spelling

Other Word Forms

• phonetically adverb
• nonphonetic adjective
• nonphonetical adjective
• unphonetic adjective
• unphonetical adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of phonetic¹

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; -ic

Word History and Origins

Origin of phonetic¹

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

Example Sentences

The album first sprang to mind six years ago, when the title began as a simple game of phonetics.

From Los Angeles Times

The exam comprised a series of papers on phonetics, grammar, and translation, which took 12 hours to complete.

From BBC

Many proudly refer to themselves as DINKs — using the acronym in English — or dingke, the phonetic translation in Mandarin.

From Los Angeles Times

They say they have found four basic components they think make up this phonetic alphabet.

From Seattle Times

The description of what the researchers termed a “sperm whale phonetic alphabet” opens the possibility of conveying a much larger variety of information.

From Science Magazine