What does my phone number spell?

Type a phone number in any format, with or without spaces, dashes or brackets. The list shows ways to write it with words in it, with the most letters as words first. Each spelling keeps the leftover keys as digits, so 1-800-356-9377 comes out as 1800-FLOWERS.

It works the other way too. Type a number with letters in it, such as 1-800-HOLIDAY, and you get the digits to dial: 18004654329.

Every key from 2 to 9 has three or four letters printed on it: ABC on 2, DEF on 3, and so on up to WXYZ on 9. A seven-digit number with no 0 or 1 in it can be read thousands of ways. The finder checks every stretch of three or more keys against a list of about 170,000 English words, then puts the words together so they don't overlap.

The list is a word-game dictionary, so it includes rare words alongside everyday ones, and it has no way to tell which are well known. Look down the list for the spelling you like best. Offensive words have been taken out.

A number written with letters is called a phoneword, and Wikipedia calls them the most common kind of vanity number. Its examples include 1-800-HOLIDAY, Holiday Inn's reservations line, and 13TAXI in Australia, which sold for A$1,005,000.

The letters on old phones weren't quite the same. Many had no Q or Z, with PRS on the 7 key and WXY on the 9, and some put Q and Z on the 1 key instead. Some phonewords also run longer than the number, like 1-866-ADOPTAHWY, a Caltrans line that adds two letters to make it easier to remember. Callers stop after the real digits, or the exchange ignores the extras.