What does dialler mean?
A dialler is, at its simplest, the part of a telephone — whether a rotating disc, a button keypad, or its digital equivalent — by which a caller enters a phone number. In modern usage the word most often refers to automated systems: a predictive or automatic dialler is software that places large volumes of calls on behalf of a call centre, connecting answered calls to available agents. The term can also denote a person dialling a number, though this sense is now comparatively rare. Spelled with a double l in British English and usually with a single l in American English, it derives from the verb "dial", whose noun originally named the face of a sundial or clock. The word is neutral in register, but because predictive diallers are central to telemarketing, it frequently surfaces in regulatory debates about robocalls and unwanted solicitations.
nounA person or device that dials telephone numbers; especially, an electronic or software-based mechanism that automatically dials numbers, as in telemarketing systems.
- A device or mechanism on a telephone used to enter or select phone numbers.
- Software or equipment that automatically dials telephone numbers in bulk, typically for call centres.
- (Less common) A person who dials a number.
"The call centre installed a predictive dialler to place calls automatically between agents."
"She turned the rotary dialler slowly, careful not to overshoot the eight."
"Regulators fined the firm for using an automatic dialler to ring numbers on the do-not-call list."
Regular plural; the American spelling is "dialers".
"Old rotary diallers are prized by collectors of vintage telephones."
The humble dialler went from a finger-turning disc on Bakelite phones to algorithms that place millions of calls a day without a single human finger.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of dialler
Dialler is formed from the verb "dial" plus the agentive suffix "-er", following the regular pattern of English instrument and agent nouns. "Dial" itself entered Middle English from medieval Latin dialis, meaning daily, derived from Latin dies, meaning day — originally referring to the face of a sundial or clock before being extended to telephones in the late nineteenth century. The Latin root dies also gives English such related words as diary, diurnal, and meridian.
How dialler is actually used
"Dialler" with the double-l spelling is the standard British form; American English usually spells it "dialer". The term is largely neutral but often appears in discussions of telemarketing, where "predictive dialler" can carry negative connotations because of nuisance-call associations.
Easily confused with dialler
A dealer is someone who buys and sells goods or deals cards, while a dialler relates to dialling telephone numbers.