Dictionary

phonetically en · ADV

Pronunciation

• [fəˈnɛɾɪkli] (Canada, General-American)
• /fəˈnɛtɪkli/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• (US) audio
• /fəˈnɛtɪkli/ (Canada, General-American)
• /fəˈnetɪkli/ (Australia)

Etymology

Etymology tree English phonetic Proto-Indo-European *h₂el- Proto-Indo-European *-is Proto-Indo-European *h₂élisder.? Proto-Italic *-ālis Latin -ālisbor. Old French -albor. ▲ Latin -ālis Old French -elbor. ▲ Latin -ālisbor. Middle English -al Proto-Indo-European *leyg-der. Proto-Germanic *līkąder. Proto-Germanic *-līkaz Proto-Germanic *-ê Proto-Germanic *-līkê Proto-West Germanic *-līkē Old English -līċe Middle English -ly Middle English -ally English -ally English phonetically From phonetic + -ally.

Meanings

1. In the way it sounds, particularly: written to describe the sound rather than the dictionary spelling.
   • The hard words in the passage have been spelled phonetically.
   • Equipment on a warship set to be upgraded or disposed of was given the code AT-6, or phonetically “eighty-six”. 2025 May 16, Edward Helmore, “What does ‘8647’ really mean? Not what Trump’s supporters are saying”, in The Guardian:

Forms

Deriveds

nonphonetically

Translations (10)

it foneticamente (in the way it sounds) · gl foneticamente (in the way it sounds) · ca fonèticament (in the way it sounds) · es fonéticamente (in the way it sounds) · cs foneticky (in the way it sounds) · fi foneettisesti (in the way it sounds) · pt foneticamente (in the way it sounds) · tr fonetik olarak (in the way it sounds) · fr phonétiquement (in the way it sounds) · sv fonetiskt (in the way it sounds)