Phone number cadence

Exterous

Super Moderator
Jun 20, 2006
20,569
3,762
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I think its pretty well understood that there is an unspoken agreement that there should be a certain cadence when leaving your phone number in the US: 3 numbers, pause, 3 numbers, pause, 4 numbers.

I just got a message where they left the number as two numbers, pause, eight numbers. Threw me for a loop. The extension was crazy too - 8 digits and it was given all in a blob with no pause or repeat of any of the numbers.
 

Miramonti

Lifer
Aug 26, 2000
28,653
100
106
Sometimes foreign numbers are in twos or start with a two digit country code, but it sounds like who you talked to simply had adhd. :D
 

Ruptga

Lifer
Aug 3, 2006
10,246
207
106
People can be trusted to remember up to three things at a time, but four is pushing it, and we remember 34 as one object but three four as two objects, so three numbers then three numbers then two two-digit numbers is most clear. It breaks down a little for things like 0356, but saying zero three fifty-six is still only three objects, so it works.
 

Stopsignhank

Platinum Member
Mar 1, 2014
2,750
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Also, if your phone number is 123-1614 you say "one, two, three pause one two one four". You do not say "one, two, three pause sixteen fourteen".
 

highland145

Lifer
Oct 12, 2009
43,973
6,337
136
My house # is 1010. Guess how I tell people. My office # ends in 3999. Confuses the crap out of people if I say each digit instead of 39 99....welcome to the blue light special.
 

Ruptga

Lifer
Aug 3, 2006
10,246
207
106
My house # is 1010. Guess how I tell people. My office # ends in 3999. Confuses the crap out of people if I say each digit instead of 39 99....welcome to the blue light special.

Exactly. My cell ends in 3959 and every time I give it to someone one digit at a time I find that they've written 5939 or some shit. They always get it right on the first try when I say thirty-nine fifty-nine.
 

Red Squirrel

No Lifer
May 24, 2003
70,540
13,791
126
www.anyf.ca
What I hate is when people that don't even leave a pause. I have crap memory when it comes to anything numerical, I need to write it down as you say it, if you say it too fast I WILL ask to repeat because I won't be able to write/type it fast enough.

caller: "Can you test a line for me? 1231234"
Me: "Sure"
Me: "uhh can you say that number again, 123?"

Worse is people that leave a voice mail and say the number fast and only once. And those are always the people that leave long winded voice mails so you have to listen to the whole thing again just to get the number.

Which brings us to another subject: Voice mails are basically to get people to call you back, don't leave 5 minute voice mails, keep it short. "Hi this is so and so, I'm calling about xyz, call me back for the details at 123-1234. That's 123-1234. " Done.