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Phone Word
- 119 statements
- 21 feature instances
- 18 referencing feature instances
Phone Word | type |
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Phone Word | comment |
Standard phone keypads the world over have letters associated with each number, with 1 being reserved, 2 = ABC, 3 = DEF, etc. This sometimes results in people or businesses either purchasing custom phone numbers that can be used to spell words (also called "vanity phone numbers"), or otherwise attempting to make a meaningful word or phrase out of an existing phone number to improve memorability. For example, Mexican bank Banamex's call center can be reached by dialing variations of "BANAMEX" (226-2639), such as 1-800-BANAMEX (1-800-226-2639) from the United States, or 55-1-BANAMEX (55-1226-2639) from within the country. Businesses have long since taken advantage of this by attempting to create a mnemonic with the letters associated with their phone number for ease of memorability, or to enable a Phone Number Jingle. Fictional works also tend to make heavy use of this property for their fake phone numbers, often for comedic effect. Japanese numbers can also be read as various letters, called Goroawase Number, leading to an alternate method of achieving this trope. "1-800" was the original toll-free prefix for business phone numbers in the in the North American Numbering Plan area, followed by the 7 digits that make up the rest of the number (sometimes more than 7 numbers are used in order to spell a longer word, and the excess digits are ignored when dialed). As businesses tend to be the ones both with enough money to purchase custom phone numbers, and the desire to have their phone number be memorable, "1-800" numbers make up the bulk of this trope in real life in the United States. There's even a website that will let you type in a phone number and will tell you what sorts of things can be spelled with it, or conversely, what phone number a word spells. Trope applies to any phone number, real or fake, that is read as a word or phrase, not necessarily just 1-800 numbers. The number will occasionally start with 555. See also Vanity License Plate. |
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Phone Word | fetched |
2023-10-03T17:15:16Z | |
Phone Word | parsed |
2023-10-03T17:15:16Z | |
Phone Word | processingComment |
Dropped link to EmpiresSMP: Not an Item - UNKNOWN | |
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Dropped link to FiveFiveFive: Not an Item - FEATURE | |
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Dropped link to ParodyCommercial: Not an Item - FEATURE | |
Phone Word | processingComment |
Dropped link to PrankCall: Not an Item - FEATURE | |
Phone Word | processingComment |
Dropped link to RidiculouslyLongPhoneNumber: Not an Item - FEATURE | |
Phone Word | processingComment |
Dropped link to TurnOfTheMillennium: Not an Item - FEATURE | |
Phone Word | processingUnknown |
Empires SMP (Web Video) | |
Phone Word | isPartOf |
DBTropes | |
Phone Word / int_261c8d3f | type |
Phone Word | |
Phone Word / int_261c8d3f | comment |
The Simpsons In "Homer the Smithers" Mr. Burns tries to call Smithers by dialing S-M-I-T-H-E-R-S, but after the first seven digits gets Moe's Tavern, where Moe thinks that it's a Prank Call. "Some Enchanted Evening" features 1-800-YOU-SQUEAL. "Homer's Triple Bypass" reveals that Dr. Nick Riviera's phone number is 1-600-DOCTORB. |
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Phone Word / int_261c8d3f | featureApplicability |
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The Simpsons | hasFeature |
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Phone Word / int_2bbcacd9 | type |
Phone Word | |
Phone Word / int_2bbcacd9 | comment |
In the Looney Tunes film Daffy Duck's Quackbusters, Daffy, Bugs and Porky run a Ghostbusters-esque agency, and their phone number is 555-5925, or 555-KWAK. | |
Phone Word / int_2bbcacd9 | featureApplicability |
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Looney Tunes | hasFeature |
Phone Word / int_2bbcacd9 | |
Phone Word / int_3e5de40b | type |
Phone Word | |
Phone Word / int_3e5de40b | comment |
In Scrubs, Turk gets a vanity number that spells CALLTURK. When it's pointed out that this is one too many digits, he says he hopes people will dial the 'K' even though they don't have to. J.D. promises, "I'll always dial the 'K' for you." | |
Phone Word / int_3e5de40b | featureApplicability |
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Scrubs | hasFeature |
Phone Word / int_3e5de40b | |
Phone Word / int_3f9e415 | type |
Phone Word | |
Phone Word / int_3f9e415 | comment |
The first two Saints Row games allow you to dial various phone numbers on your cell phone. Most of them follow this trope. For example, the number for Haz Mat is 555-6677 or 555-OOPS. | |
Phone Word / int_3f9e415 | featureApplicability |
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Saints Row (Video Game) | hasFeature |
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Phone Word / int_4505668c | type |
Phone Word | |
Phone Word / int_4505668c | comment |
In The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress, the initial phone codes to contact Mycroft are actual words with nulls added to get them to the correct length %(I think Mannie dials MYCROFTXXX, but I could be wrong on the number of null Xs). As the conspiracy grows they run out of memorable word codes and have to start using random codes. | |
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The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress | hasFeature |
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Phone Word / int_4fd9904a | type |
Phone Word | |
Phone Word / int_4fd9904a | comment |
Not used to make a call, but in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix the visitor entrance to the Ministry of Magic is hidden in what appears to be a telephone booth with a broken phone. Dialing 62442 (MAGIC) summons a voice that welcomes you to the Ministry and opens the way in. | |
Phone Word / int_4fd9904a | featureApplicability |
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Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix | hasFeature |
Phone Word / int_4fd9904a | |
Phone Word / int_5ce3fc86 | type |
Phone Word | |
Phone Word / int_5ce3fc86 | comment |
In Soul Eater, the number to call Lord Death is 42-42-564 (shini-shini-goroshi, "death-death-murder"). You don't actually use a phone, though, you write on the fog condensed on a mirror. | |
Phone Word / int_5ce3fc86 | featureApplicability |
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Phone Word / int_5ce3fc86 | featureConfidence |
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Soul Eater (Manga) | hasFeature |
Phone Word / int_5ce3fc86 | |
Phone Word / int_64ff8c3 | type |
Phone Word | |
Phone Word / int_64ff8c3 | comment |
The (possibly now defunct) CinemaSins hotline is 405-459-7466, or 405-459-SINN. | |
Phone Word / int_64ff8c3 | featureApplicability |
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Phone Word / int_64ff8c3 | featureConfidence |
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CinemaSins (Web Video) | hasFeature |
Phone Word / int_64ff8c3 | |
Phone Word / int_82523872 | type |
Phone Word | |
Phone Word / int_82523872 | comment |
Yato's phone number in Noragami is 080-0919-8100. This phone number spells ku(9)-i(1)-ku(9)-ya(8)-to(10), or "Quick Yato". | |
Phone Word / int_82523872 | featureApplicability |
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Phone Word / int_82523872 | featureConfidence |
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Noragami (Manga) | hasFeature |
Phone Word / int_82523872 | |
Phone Word / int_aac942e5 | type |
Phone Word | |
Phone Word / int_aac942e5 | comment |
The filmmakers of The Santa Clause got in a little bit of trouble when Scott sarcastically identifies a phone number on a piece of paper as 1-800-SPANK-ME, which turned out to be an actual phone sex hotline. | |
Phone Word / int_aac942e5 | featureApplicability |
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The Santa Clause | hasFeature |
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Phone Word / int_acff8295 | type |
Phone Word | |
Phone Word / int_acff8295 | comment |
In A Safe Place (1971), Noah tells Fred that when she was a kid, she used to come up with words based on the first two letters of her friends' phone numbers, like Plaza or Butterfield. She felt a connection with anyone who had the same word as herself. Fred's number starts with 64, so he comes up with Mirage. | |
Phone Word / int_acff8295 | featureApplicability |
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A Safe Place (1971) | hasFeature |
Phone Word / int_acff8295 | |
Phone Word / int_b0fc9724 | type |
Phone Word | |
Phone Word / int_b0fc9724 | comment |
A Saturday Night Live Parody Commercial for a harassment agency's phone number is 1-800-HARASSS - "the extra "S" is for extra harassment." | |
Phone Word / int_b0fc9724 | featureApplicability |
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Phone Word / int_b0fc9724 | featureConfidence |
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Saturday Night Live | hasFeature |
Phone Word / int_b0fc9724 | |
Phone Word / int_b445a53d | type |
Phone Word | |
Phone Word / int_b445a53d | comment |
A recurring skit on The Amanda Show parodied When Animals Attack and the other such shows Fox aired a lot of back in the late 90s and early 00s, with variations like When Old Ladies Attack or When Bradys Attack. Towards the end, Amanda would turn to the camera and encourage the viewers to dial an absurdly-long number, typically something like "1-500 I-JUST-SAW-THE-BRADY-BUNCH-ATTACK-SOME-PERSON-SO-NOW-I'M-CALLING-THIS-NUMBER-TO-REPORT-WHAT-I-SAW". | |
Phone Word / int_b445a53d | featureApplicability |
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Phone Word / int_b445a53d | featureConfidence |
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The Amanda Show | hasFeature |
Phone Word / int_b445a53d | |
Phone Word / int_c680d8f3 | type |
Phone Word | |
Phone Word / int_c680d8f3 | comment |
In Both Can Be True, Ash's phone number is 555-3265, the last four digits of which spell "DANK." Griffey is jealous because his number only spells "LAMP." | |
Phone Word / int_c680d8f3 | featureApplicability |
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Phone Word / int_c680d8f3 | featureConfidence |
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Both Can Be True | hasFeature |
Phone Word / int_c680d8f3 | |
Phone Word / int_cac20f89 | type |
Phone Word | |
Phone Word / int_cac20f89 | comment |
In the JAG episode 'Retreat, Hell', Mic Brumby (Trevor Goddard), a former officer of the Royal Australian Navy, starts a new firm in America that represents people suing the U. S. Navy. Commander Harmon Rabb (David James Elliott) jokes that Brumby's phone number is 1-800-SUE-NAVY. | |
Phone Word / int_cac20f89 | featureApplicability |
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Phone Word / int_cac20f89 | featureConfidence |
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JAG | hasFeature |
Phone Word / int_cac20f89 | |
Phone Word / int_d99024a2 | type |
Phone Word | |
Phone Word / int_d99024a2 | comment |
Genesis employed this on the video for "Jesus He Knows Me". When Phil sang "Just call my toll-free number," the number 1-555-GEN-ESIS flashed on the screen. The screen graphics on the accompanying tour did this as well. | |
Phone Word / int_d99024a2 | featureApplicability |
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Phone Word / int_d99024a2 | featureConfidence |
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Genesis (Band) (Music) | hasFeature |
Phone Word / int_d99024a2 | |
Phone Word / int_df49d104 | type |
Phone Word | |
Phone Word / int_df49d104 | comment |
Millennium (1996) has a variation in the episode "522666." The villain of the piece, a mad bomber, always calls emergency services and punches in "5-2-2-6-6-6" before he sets off his bombs. When these numbers are switched out for letters, the result is "KABOOM." | |
Phone Word / int_df49d104 | featureApplicability |
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Phone Word / int_df49d104 | featureConfidence |
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Millennium (1996) | hasFeature |
Phone Word / int_df49d104 | |
Phone Word / int_e1ec0e62 | type |
Phone Word | |
Phone Word / int_e1ec0e62 | comment |
Grand Theft Auto IV uses this for cheat codes (212-555-0227 generates a car, for example), as well as for the in-game music-identification company, 948(ZIT)-555-0100. | |
Phone Word / int_e1ec0e62 | featureApplicability |
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Phone Word / int_e1ec0e62 | featureConfidence |
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Grand Theft Auto IV (Video Game) | hasFeature |
Phone Word / int_e1ec0e62 | |
Phone Word / int_e25322af | type |
Phone Word | |
Phone Word / int_e25322af | comment |
Homestar Runner: A fake advert in features Senor Cardgage Mortgage inviting you to "come along down and dial 555-55-55855-55-5-SENOR-MORT-GAGE-TODAY!" Another fake advert displays 1-800-555-SBSINGS to order Strong Bad's music collection. This was changed from 1-800-BAD-SONG because the real owners of said number sent complaints. |
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Phone Word / int_e25322af | featureApplicability |
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Homestar Runner (Web Animation) | hasFeature |
Phone Word / int_e25322af | |
Phone Word / int_e885c808 | type |
Phone Word | |
Phone Word / int_e885c808 | comment |
The King of Druidia (or a collect-call phone service)'s phone number in Spaceballs is 1-800-DRUIDIA. | |
Phone Word / int_e885c808 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Phone Word / int_e885c808 | featureConfidence |
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Spaceballs | hasFeature |
Phone Word / int_e885c808 | |
Phone Word / int_ea4f62db | type |
Phone Word | |
Phone Word / int_ea4f62db | comment |
Family Guy: In a cutaway depicting Hitler having his own talk show, the announcer tells the viewer that they can get tickets to the show by calling 213-DU-WERDEST-EIN-KRANKENSCHWESTER-BRAUCHEN! | |
Phone Word / int_ea4f62db | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Phone Word / int_ea4f62db | featureConfidence |
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Family Guy | hasFeature |
Phone Word / int_ea4f62db |
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