Phone Numbers
In the United States (and Canada and anywhere else on the North American Numbering Plan (or NANP), for that matter), telephone numbers conform to the following pattern:
540 – 555 – 1212
That is, three digits for the area code followed by a seven-digit number (well, a combination of a three-digit number and a four-digit number). When saying a phone number, there is a natural (okay, learned, but still…) flow: bum-bum-bum, bum-bum-bum, bum-bum bum-bum.
(As a side note, when I was growing up and area codes were not as critical to include since the only people you ever called who were long-distance were your grandparents. You still needed area codes, it’s just that most people you called seemed to be in your own area code and you rarely mentioned them. Thus, the area codes were contained in parentheses. Now, with the massive growth in fax, pager, and cellular phone use, it has become commonplace to give the area code as part of the number, hence the use of the hyphen rather than the parentheses.)
In England, things are different. Telephone numbers seem to follow this pattern:
01438555121
And I say, “seem to,” because the same number might also be written as 01438 555121 or maybe 01438 555 121. Yes, it’s the same number of numbers but for someone new, figuring out where the breaks are is difficult.
Evidently, the first five numbers are the equivalent to American area codes (in this example, 01438). The last six numbers (555121) are the phone number. When calling from the same area code, you don’t seem to need to use the area code when you dial – just dial the last six numbers. Dialling from a different code requires all eleven numbers.
Simple, you say? Well, yes. Now. It’s taken me several weeks to figure this out!
On a related note, and just to confuse things, when dialling a UK number from America, you omit the first zero and just dial the last ten digits. After, that is, you dial 011 44. (In case you’re wondering, 011 is what you dial to indicate you are making an international call. The next two numbers, 44, happen to be the country code for the United Kingdom.)
540 – 555 – 1212
That is, three digits for the area code followed by a seven-digit number (well, a combination of a three-digit number and a four-digit number). When saying a phone number, there is a natural (okay, learned, but still…) flow: bum-bum-bum, bum-bum-bum, bum-bum bum-bum.
(As a side note, when I was growing up and area codes were not as critical to include since the only people you ever called who were long-distance were your grandparents. You still needed area codes, it’s just that most people you called seemed to be in your own area code and you rarely mentioned them. Thus, the area codes were contained in parentheses. Now, with the massive growth in fax, pager, and cellular phone use, it has become commonplace to give the area code as part of the number, hence the use of the hyphen rather than the parentheses.)
In England, things are different. Telephone numbers seem to follow this pattern:
01438555121
And I say, “seem to,” because the same number might also be written as 01438 555121 or maybe 01438 555 121. Yes, it’s the same number of numbers but for someone new, figuring out where the breaks are is difficult.
Evidently, the first five numbers are the equivalent to American area codes (in this example, 01438). The last six numbers (555121) are the phone number. When calling from the same area code, you don’t seem to need to use the area code when you dial – just dial the last six numbers. Dialling from a different code requires all eleven numbers.
Simple, you say? Well, yes. Now. It’s taken me several weeks to figure this out!
On a related note, and just to confuse things, when dialling a UK number from America, you omit the first zero and just dial the last ten digits. After, that is, you dial 011 44. (In case you’re wondering, 011 is what you dial to indicate you are making an international call. The next two numbers, 44, happen to be the country code for the United Kingdom.)
posted by Matthew Reames at 1/20/2005 05:33:00 PM
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