Meaning & use
teleplay
Last updated
UK/ˈtɛlɪpleɪ/
US/ˈtɛlɪpleɪ/
Meaning
nouncountable
A script written for a television drama or program.
Grammar: Countable; used for the written script, not the broadcast itself.
Patterns
- write a teleplay
- a teleplay for a series
The writer won an award for her teleplay about a small-town doctor.
He adapted his novel into a teleplay for a major network.
The teleplay went through several revisions before filming began.
Word forms
| plural | teleplays |
|---|
Common combinations
- write a teleplay
- She spent months writing a teleplay for the crime series.
- original teleplay
- The network commissioned an original teleplay from a new writer.
- teleplay writer
- As a teleplay writer, he focused on dialogue and pacing for the small screen.
- adapt into a teleplay
- The studio adapted the memoir into a teleplay.
Synonyms and how they differ
- screenplay
- A screenplay is written for a film, while a teleplay is specifically for television.
- script
- Script is a general term for any written text for performance; teleplay is the specific term for TV.
Word family
- teleplaywright noun
- A person who writes teleplays.
Commonly confused: teleplay or screenplay?
teleplay vs screenplay
Screenplay is for cinema; teleplay is for television. They are not interchangeable.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'teleplay' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Teleplay' means a script for television, so 'wrote a teleplay' fits. It is not the broadcast itself or a cinema film, and it is not a camera.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “teleplay”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.
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