Crimes of Innumeracy

Phone numbers

1 and 011 are unnecessary (and insulting)

617 is an area code. 646 is an area code. 800 is an area code. Just as there's no reason to write a 1 before the 617 or 646 area code, there's no reason to put a 1 before 800 or 888 or 877 or 866 or any other toll-free area codes that may eventually exist. Why shouldn't we use the 1?

First of all, it's inaccurate. Not everyone needs to dial a 1 to call a number in a different area code. Some people might dial calling-card numbers that don't require the 1; some people might be calling collect (and thus use a zero instead); and way back in the 1980s my family had to dial 266003572668.

Second, it's insulting. Everyone in the United States knows that if you're given ten digits, the first three are an area code. Nobody needs a 1 to point that out. And if someone tells me his number is 1-617-637-1111, that tells me two things: that he doubts I understand the concept of area codes and that I'd better not call him collect (since calling collect doesn't require a 1).

Similarly, it's not necessary to mention the "011" when giving a phone number outside the United States. The correct way to write any phone number, country code included, is +[country code] ([city code]) [phone number]. For instance, the number for Dress Circle, in London, is +44 (020) 7240-2227. And if you're in the U.S. dialing some other country and the city code starts with 0, remember to omit the 0 (Moscow is the exception; you dial the full 095 city code).