Standard Lemma guide

phonetically

adv · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /fəˈnɛtɪkli/
  • Canada, General-American: /fəˈnɛtɪkli/
  • Canada, General-American: [fəˈnɛɾɪkli]
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Australian: /fəˈnetɪkli/
  • CMU ARPABET: F AH0 N EH1 T IH0 K L IY0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adv

Meaning 1

In the way it sounds, particularly: written to describe the sound rather than the dictionary spelling.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • The hard words in the passage have been spelled phonetically.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adverb

Meaning 2

by phonetics

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • phonetically realized

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Etymology tree English phonetic Proto-Indo-European *h2el-der.? 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.

Across languages

Translations

10 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Catalan: fonèticament — in the way it sounds
  • Czech: foneticky — in the way it sounds
  • Finnish: foneettisesti — in the way it sounds
  • French: phonétiquement — in the way it sounds
  • Galician: foneticamente — in the way it sounds
  • Italian: foneticamente — in the way it sounds
  • Portuguese: foneticamente — in the way it sounds
  • Spanish: fonéticamente — in the way it sounds
  • Swedish: fonetiskt — in the way it sounds
  • Turkish: fonetik olarak — in the way it sounds