phonetic name

noun

A name as it is thought to have been pronounced, rather than how it is commonly written. Used with languages such as Epigraphic Mayan where the conventional transcription of the name does not reflect the pronunciation.

“The phonetic name of Smoking Frog is Ciak Kʼak”

Meanings

nounphonetic name (plural phonetic names)

plural phonetic names

  1. A name as it is thought to have been pronounced, rather than how it is commonly written. Used with languages such as Epigraphic Mayan where the conventional transcription of the name does not reflect the pronunciation.

    The phonetic name of Smoking Frog is Ciak Kʼak

  2. A name written in phonographic rather than logographic characters, as in Egyptian.

    The cartouche contained the titles and phonetic name of Rameses

  3. In electronic applications such as address books, an entry that allows a name to be looked up through pronunciation rather than spelling
Cite this entry
APA

phonetic name. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/phonetic%20name

MLA

“phonetic name.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/phonetic%20name. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “phonetic name,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/phonetic%20name.

Source: phonetic name on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.