---
title: "Dial-A-Word"
id: 71928
type: "computer_media"
slug: "dial-a-word"
url: "http://localhost/computer_media/dial-a-word/"
markdown_url: "http://localhost/computer_media/dial-a-word.md"
published_at: "2026-10-20T14:07:48+00:00"
modified_at: "2026-10-20T14:11:11+00:00"
author: "David Anderson"
featured_image:
  url: "http://localhost/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/DIALAWORD.png"
excerpt: "Lists every letter combination a seven-digit telephone number can spell on a standard dial, 76 combinations per screen, to help find a memorable word."
category:
  - name: "Archived Media"
    slug: "archived-media"
    taxonomy: "category"
    url: "http://localhost/category/archived-media/"
post_tag:
  - name: "Downloadable"
    slug: "downloadable"
    taxonomy: "post_tag"
    url: "http://localhost/tag/downloadable/"
  - name: "TS 1000"
    slug: "ts1000"
    taxonomy: "post_tag"
    url: "http://localhost/tag/ts1000/"
model:
  - name: "Timex/Sinclair 1000"
    slug: "ts-1000"
    taxonomy: "model"
    url: "http://localhost/model/ts-1000/"
indiv:
  - name: "David Wahl"
    slug: "david-wahl"
    taxonomy: "indiv"
    url: "http://localhost/indiv/david-wahl/"
genre:
  - name: "Home"
    slug: "home"
    taxonomy: "genre"
    url: "http://localhost/type/home/"
media_type: "Program"
programmers:
  - name: "David Wahl"
    slug: "david-wahl"
    taxonomy: "indiv"
    url: "http://localhost/indiv/david-wahl/"
download_url: "https://archive.org/download/timex-sinclair-software-archive/Dial-A-Word%20%281983%29%28Wahl%2C%20David%29%28TS1000%29%28US%29%28Program%29.zip"
mediadate: "1983"
images:
  - url: "http://localhost/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/DIALAWORD.png"
  - url: "http://localhost/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/DIALAWORD-scaled.jpg"
article_media:
  - id: 20201
    title: "Dial-A-Word"
    type: "article"
    url: "http://localhost/article/dial-a-word/"
media_type_tags: "Home"
---

# Dial-A-Word

Takes a seven-digit telephone number and prints every letter combination it can spell using the letters on a telephone dial. Digits 2 through 9 each stand for three letters, from ABC to WXY (Q and Z are left out, as on dials of the period), while 0 and 1 are printed as they are. A number made only of the digits 2–9 gives 37 = 2187 combinations. The results fill the screen 76 at a time, and the user presses C to continue or Q to quit.

The cassette has a handwritten label reading “DIAL A WORD (Z.)”. The listing matches David Wahl’s type-in published in Timex Sinclair User #5.

## Program Analysis

### Program Structure

The 24-letter alphabet is held in `A$`, and the array `A(7)` holds a 0–2 offset for each digit position. For each digit `d`, line 280 prints `A$(VAL (N$(I))*3-5+A(I))`, so 2 maps to positions 1–3 (ABC), 3 to 4–6 (DEF), and so on. Lines 410–460 step through the combinations like an odometer: the first position’s offset is incremented, and when it passes 2, or when the digit is 0 or 1, it is reset and the carry moves to the next position. When the carry runs past position 7, the program prints DONE.

### Notable Techniques

- Input is validated for length and checked one character at a time with string comparisons against `"0"` and `"9"`.
- `PAUSE 4E4` waits for a keypress, which `INKEY$` then reads.
- Positions holding 0 or 1 are skipped by the odometer, so no duplicate combinations are printed.

### Potential Issues

- If the number contains a non-digit, line 220 jumps to line 280 instead of back to the input prompt. At that point `I` is 8 after the checking loop, so `N$(8)` is out of range and the program stops with an error rather than asking again.
- The error flag `FL` is set only once, at line 80, and is never reset.

## Source Code

```
  10 DIM A(7)
  20 LET A$="ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPRSTUVWXY"
  30 LET NP=0
  40 FOR I=1 TO 7
  50 LET A(I)=0
  60 NEXT I
  70 SLOW
  80 LET FL=0
  89 REM --GET TELEPHONE NUMBER--
  90 CLS
 100 PRINT TAB 10;"DIAL-A-WORD"
 110 PRINT 
 120 PRINT "PLEASE TYPE IN A 7-DIGIT PHONE","NUMBER (IN THIS FORM: 5558888):"
 130 PRINT "THEN PRESS <ENTER>"
 140 PRINT 
 150 PRINT "NUMBER?"
 160 INPUT N$
 170 PRINT N$
 179 REM --CHECK FOR ERRORS--
 180 IF LEN N$<>7 THEN GOTO 90
 190 FOR I=1 TO 7
 200 IF N$(I)<"0" OR N$(I)>"9" THEN LET FL=1
 210 NEXT I
 220 IF FL<>0 THEN GOTO 280
 230 CLS
 240 FOR I=1 TO 7
 250 IF N$(I)>="2" THEN GOTO 280
 260 PRINT N$(I);
 270 GOTO 290
 280 PRINT A$(VAL (N$(I))*3-5+A(I));
 290 NEXT I
 300 PRINT " ";
 310 LET NP=NP+1
 320 IF NP<76 THEN GOTO 410
 330 PRINT 
 340 PRINT 
 350 PRINT "PRESS <C> TO CONTINUE,","<Q> TO QUIT."
 359 REM --WAIT FOR KEY TO BE PRESSED--
 360 PAUSE 4E4
 370 IF INKEY$ ="Q" THEN STOP
 380 IF INKEY$ <>"C" THEN GOTO 360
 390 LET NP=0
 400 CLS
 409 REM --PRODUCE NEXT COMBINATION--
 410 LET P=1
 420 LET A(P)=A(P)+1
 430 IF A(P)<3 AND N$(P)>"1" THEN GOTO 240
 440 LET A(P)=0
 450 LET P=P+1
 460 IF P<8 THEN GOTO 420
 470 PRINT 
 480 PRINT "DONE."
 490 STOP
 500 SAVE "DIALAWOR[D]"
 510 GOTO 10
```