How to Find Out What a Phone Number Is (Country, Type, Area)
To find out what a phone number is, read it from the left: country code, area code or mobile prefix, subscriber number, then any extension. The phone number explainer does that for any number you paste, with the type of range (mobile, landline, toll-free, premium), notes on special ranges such as UK 0333 or US 988, and the correct formats. It is read in your browser. It does not say who owns the number.
Step 1: paste the number
Paste it as you saw it. With or without +, spaces, brackets or an extension (ext. 42, x42). If it has no + country code, pick the country it was written for.
Step 2: read the parts
Press Explain this number. You see the country, area code and place, the type of range, the subscriber number, any extension and the formats. By hand, the country code is the first one to three digits after +, from ITU-T E.164. Related: international phone number format and finding what country a phone number is from.
Step 3: read the notes
| Range | What the notes say |
|---|---|
| Mobile prefix | Allocated to mobile service in that country's plan |
| Geographic code | A landline area, with the place |
| Toll-free or premium | Who pays, and that premium rates apply |
| UK 03, 08 and 09 numbers | National rate, freephone or premium |
| Fictional ranges, short codes | Marked as such |
Range type is what the numbering plan allocated. Ported and VoIP numbers can differ, which is why the live line type needs a carrier lookup. See mobile vs landline lookup.
What this check cannot do
- It reads the digits; it cannot say who owns a number, whether it is in service or whether it is a scam. See how to spot fake phone numbers.
- US and Canadian numbers cannot be told apart as mobile or landline from the digits.
- Short codes are explained for the US, UK, Australia, New Zealand and India only.
If you have a list of numbers
The bulk phone number validator gives country, type and E.164 for every number in a file. For the live line type and carrier of each number, upload the list on the verify page with a phone plan; see pricing. Also see bulk phone number validation.
Explain a number now
Paste it into the phone number explainer.
Common questions
What phone number starts with +44?
+44 is the United Kingdom. After it, 7 is usually a mobile, 1 or 2 a landline, 3 a national rate number, 800 or 808 freephone and 9 premium rate.
What is a 0333 number?
A UK non-geographic number charged at the same rate as a call to a landline, and included in most call bundles. Companies and charities use it as one national number.
What does an extension mean?
It is the internal line of one person or desk at an organisation. Dial the main number, then the extension when the system answers; it is not part of the phone number.
Can it tell me who owns a number?
No. Ownership is not in the digits, and reverse lookups need private data about people. It explains what kind of number it is and where it was issued.
Can it tell a US mobile from a landline?
Not from the digits. US and Canadian numbers cannot be told apart as mobile or landline that way.
Check your list before you send
Real mailbox checks over SMTP, and nothing is sent to the address. Sign in with Google and your first 100 email checks are free, no card. Plans for bigger lists are on the pricing page.