phonetic
adj.adj. relating to the sounds of human speech. You use this to describe spelling that matches how a word sounds or the symbols used to show pronunciation.
adj. relating to the sounds of human speech or the representation of these sounds by written symbols. Often describes a system of spelling where each letter consistently represents a specific sound.
The teacher used phonetic symbols to show how to say the word.
Spanish is often described as a phonetic language because its spelling closely follows its pronunciation rules.
The dictionary provides a phonetic transcription for every entry to assist learners in mastering the subtle distinctions between vowel sounds in different dialects.
Borrowed from Latin phōnēticus, from Ancient Greek φωνητῐκός (phōnētĭkós). By surface analysis, phone + -etic.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Typically used attributively before a noun. Often paired with 'spelling', 'alphabet', or 'transcription'.
Last updated May 11, 2026