What are words spelt the same on phone keypads called?
December 20, 2005 2:22 PM Subscribe
Is there are word (like homonym and homophone) for words that are spelt with the same numbers on a telephone keypads? If not, any ideas?
As text messaging sweethearts (with predictive text turned on) know, "kiss" and "lips" are both spelt 5477. Much to the amusement of drinkers, "pint", "shot" and "riot" are all spelt 7468. There are doubtless thousands more of these, but what are they called?
Words that are spelt the same but mean different things ("set" and "set" and "set" and...) are called homonyms. Words that sound the same, but are spelt differently ("new" and "knew") are homophones. Is there an equivalent word for "kiss" and "lips"?
If not, can anyone help me think of one? The Latin for "same key" or "same number" would be sensible. Despite having seen The Life of Brian, my Latin isn't up to doing whatever fancy stuff you need to do the Latin for key (claustum?) and number (numerus?) to make the neologism correct. "Homoclaustum"? "Homonumerus"?
(The other thought I had is that, since these words are degenerate in the mathematical sense, i.e. given a phone number 1-800-555-5477 you can't tell if it's 555-LIPS or 555-KISS, the word to describe them should make reference to this property.)
As text messaging sweethearts (with predictive text turned on) know, "kiss" and "lips" are both spelt 5477. Much to the amusement of drinkers, "pint", "shot" and "riot" are all spelt 7468. There are doubtless thousands more of these, but what are they called?
Words that are spelt the same but mean different things ("set" and "set" and "set" and...) are called homonyms. Words that sound the same, but are spelt differently ("new" and "knew") are homophones. Is there an equivalent word for "kiss" and "lips"?
If not, can anyone help me think of one? The Latin for "same key" or "same number" would be sensible. Despite having seen The Life of Brian, my Latin isn't up to doing whatever fancy stuff you need to do the Latin for key (claustum?) and number (numerus?) to make the neologism correct. "Homoclaustum"? "Homonumerus"?
(The other thought I had is that, since these words are degenerate in the mathematical sense, i.e. given a phone number 1-800-555-5477 you can't tell if it's 555-LIPS or 555-KISS, the word to describe them should make reference to this property.)
How 'bout digiphones? Dialers use the same fingers (L. digi-), and hear the same dialtones (G. -phonos) for various numbers.
posted by rob511 at 2:58 PM on December 20, 2005
posted by rob511 at 2:58 PM on December 20, 2005
Homodactyls is the best. It keeps the sense of "same + look" and "same + sound," by having "same + type." It's better than homograph or homochord or something...
posted by zpousman at 4:40 PM on December 20, 2005
posted by zpousman at 4:40 PM on December 20, 2005
I've used the word homophonumeric to explain the phone calls I'd get from strange men when the last four digits of my number were 2625. Had the callers been women, I'd have used the word homonymphonumeric with glee.
posted by Buzz at 6:20 PM on December 20, 2005
posted by Buzz at 6:20 PM on December 20, 2005
Homodactyls is brilliant.
posted by Artifice_Eternity at 8:42 PM on December 20, 2005
posted by Artifice_Eternity at 8:42 PM on December 20, 2005
I propose the adjective "idemclavic."
posted by i_am_joe's_spleen at 9:34 PM on December 20, 2005
posted by i_am_joe's_spleen at 9:34 PM on December 20, 2005
Response by poster: I guess I should finish up with some final thoughts. Thanks for all the suggestions. By a process of elimination:
Simonyms wins the prize for the funniest (SIM, geddit?), but, unless the speaker has unusually clear diction, I think it sounds too much like synonyms to catch on. "T9 collisions", while wholly accurate, is a bit dull. Anything with "cell" would get laughed at by us Brits, and we're the Anglophones sending all the text messages, so "cellonym" is out. "Digiphone" sounds like a, uh, digital phone. Wouldn't "synchronumerical" have something to do with time (chronos). "Homophonumeric" is too adjectivy and not nouny enough to these ears.
Which leaves: homonums, redundonyms, duplodactyls, homodactyls, phononym, telenym, phonephones, and idemclavic (and my suggestions, which, in retrospect, were rubbish).
Rather than be prescriptive, let's end with a recommendation: homodactyls and homonums both got support from others, so you won't go wrong if you use either of them. Myself, I'm with odinsdream that homodactyls sounds a little funny, so I'll be calling "of" and "me" homonums from now on.
posted by caek at 3:38 AM on December 21, 2005
Simonyms wins the prize for the funniest (SIM, geddit?), but, unless the speaker has unusually clear diction, I think it sounds too much like synonyms to catch on. "T9 collisions", while wholly accurate, is a bit dull. Anything with "cell" would get laughed at by us Brits, and we're the Anglophones sending all the text messages, so "cellonym" is out. "Digiphone" sounds like a, uh, digital phone. Wouldn't "synchronumerical" have something to do with time (chronos). "Homophonumeric" is too adjectivy and not nouny enough to these ears.
Which leaves: homonums, redundonyms, duplodactyls, homodactyls, phononym, telenym, phonephones, and idemclavic (and my suggestions, which, in retrospect, were rubbish).
Rather than be prescriptive, let's end with a recommendation: homodactyls and homonums both got support from others, so you won't go wrong if you use either of them. Myself, I'm with odinsdream that homodactyls sounds a little funny, so I'll be calling "of" and "me" homonums from now on.
posted by caek at 3:38 AM on December 21, 2005
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simonyns
redundonyms
duplodictyls
posted by Rumple at 2:52 PM on December 20, 2005