Meaning & use

Phonography

noun·Academic

Last updated

A system of shorthand writing based on representing the sounds of speech rather than standard spelling.

See it in a sentence

Isaac Pitman's system of phonography allowed stenographers to record speech almost as fast as it was spoken.

Students of phonography learned to write entire sentences using a handful of simple strokes.

A note on using this word

In its early use, "phonography" also referred to the emerging technology of sound recording, before the word "phonograph" took over that meaning.

Words with a similar meaning

shorthand

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

Another way to use it

2. noun

Historical term for the recording and reproduction of sound.

Early inventors experimented with phonography as a way to capture the human voice.

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