![]() ![]() The first telephone numbers were typically four or five digits and could include letters. In the early 1900s, telephone numbers were represented with a combination of numbers and letters. WHEN DID phone numbers stop having letters? The use of letters with phone numbers is now obsolete, though the concept of using letters to represent numbers is still used today for applications such as vehicle VIN numbers and bar codes. In the US, the three-digit area code was then added to provide a more reliable and efficient connection. To accommodate this, the letters were dropped in favor of seven-digit numbers that a person could more easily remember. While this system might have worked well in the past, telephone numbers are now more complicated as everyone in a metropolitan area has to share the same set of numbers. This system of assigning letters to numbers was first developed in the 1800s in Boston, Massachusetts, and soon spread to cities throughout the United States. Instead of struggling with a seemingly random set of numbers, people could assign a letter to each number, so that a person’s phone number may begin with the word “MAY …”, followed by the digits that represent that word. In the early days of telecommunication, letters were used in phone numbers as a way to help people remember the number. Why did they use letters in phone numbers? Mnemonic dialing is especially useful for remembering long strings of phone numbers. For example, “YAR” is an acronym for “yes, abort, refuse,” and can be used to dial 827 on the keypad. There are also some other words and abbreviations that can be used to dial a number. ![]() For example, the letters “ABC” can be dialed by pressing 2222 on the keypad.Įach letter has a numerical equivalent, so “ABC” would equal 2-2-2-2. It is the process of using words or acronyms to replace numbers on a telephone keypad. How do you dial numbers with letters?ĭialing numbers with letters is known as a mnemonic dialing. If you are still unable to find the asterisk on your keyboard, you can refer to the user manual for your device or keyboard app for more detailed instructions. For some keyboards, it may also be located in the “Symbols” section of the keyboard, which can typically be accessed by pressing the “123” button. Depending on the specific device and keyboard app you are using, there may be a dedicated asterisk button, which is usually in the upper-right corner of the numeric keypad.Īlternately, you may need to press and hold the hyphen/minus (-) button, which will bring up the asterisk. The asterisk (*) symbol on the Android keyboard can typically be found on the numeric keypad, located on the right side of your Android device’s keyboard. Where is the asterisk on Android keyboard? This should be sufficient to create the symbol you desire above the letter.įor more advanced programs and applications, there may be additional options for inserting symbols above a letter, such as keyboard shortcuts. Then, type in the symbol you wish to insert above the letter and press the ‘Ctrl’ key and ‘-‘ key to reduce the font size again. To accomplish this in most programs, you can hold down the ‘Ctrl’ key and press the ‘+’ key to increase the font size for part of a block of text. If you’re trying to put a symbol above a letter as part of a mathematical expression or equation, it is often referred to as superscripting. Some phones have predictive text capability, where it makes suggestions as you type – which can make typing even more convenient. Once you become more familiar with the assignment of letters for each key, typing on the keypad will become easier. The first tap would give you a ‘D’, the second tap would give you an ‘E’ and the third tap would give you a ‘F’. ![]() Each key is usually assigned 3-4 letters and you will need to tap the key the correct number of times to get the correct letter you want.įor example, if you wanted to type the letter ‘D’, you would need to press the number 4 key three times. Typing letters on a phone keypad requires you to use multi-tap typing, as each key is assigned multiple letters. ![]()
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