French word

dicter

Pronunciation

IPA/dikte/

Meaning

  • verbdictate

Example

Je dicte une note à mon assistant.

I dictate a note to my assistant.

Illustration for dicter (dictate)

More examples

Il dicte un message vocal au téléphone.

He dictates a voice message on the phone.

Core concept

A speaker delivers words aloud while another person records them.

Common phrases

  • dicter un message vocal

    dictate a voice message

  • dicter au téléphone

    dictate on the phone

Similar words

dire: Communicate something through spoken words.
lire: Read written words or text aloud.
épeler: Say the letters of a word aloud one by one.

Definition in French

Prononcer oralement des paroles ou des directives pour qu'elles soient notées par autrui.

Word origin

French dicter comes from Latin dictare, a frequentative form of dicere, 'to say', and developed through Old French with the sense of having words written down.

Usage tips

  • Dicter usually implies dictation to a listener who writes, whereas dire is the broader everyday verb for saying or telling something.

Related words

Word lists with this word