What are phonewords?

Phonewords, also known as vanity numbers, are phone numbers that spell out words or phrases using the letters assigned to each number key on a phone keypad. For example, 1-800-FLOWERS translates to 1-800-356-9377. This mapping comes from traditional telephone keypads where each number key (2-9) is associated with 3-4 letters, making numbers easier to remember.

Tool description

This tool converts phone numbers to memorable words and vice versa using standard phone keypad letter mapping. It automatically translates between numeric phone numbers and their alphabetic equivalents, helping you create or decode vanity phone numbers. The conversion works bidirectionally - enter digits to see possible letter combinations, or enter letters to get the corresponding phone number.

Features

  • Bidirectional conversion between numbers and letters
  • Standard phone keypad mapping (2=ABC, 3=DEF, 4=GHI, 5=JKL, 6=MNO, 7=PQRS, 8=TUV, 9=WXYZ)
  • Real-time conversion as you type
  • Preserves special characters and formatting (dashes, spaces, parentheses)
  • Works with international and local phone number formats

Use cases

  • Creating memorable vanity numbers for businesses (1-800-PIZZA, 555-LAWYER)
  • Decoding phonewords from advertisements into dialable numbers
  • Marketing campaigns using easy-to-remember phone numbers
  • Converting existing phone numbers to find potential word combinations
  • Understanding phoneword-based phone numbers from business cards