- Beck and call is the correct way to spell this phrase.
- To be at someone’s beck and call means you are ready to obey their orders or commands.
- Beckon call is not the correct way to spell the phrase.
Even though it’s not a phrase you’ll hear every day, it’s good to know whether beck and call is the correct way to say it, or if it should be beckon call.
Beck and call vs. beckon call
The correct way to write the phrase is beck and call. This phrase is a part of the idiom “to be at someone’s beck and call.” Beckon call is an example of an eggcorn—a slightly misheard (yet still kind of sensical) version of a common phrase.
What does beck and call mean?
To be at someone’s beck and call means to be ready to react to their commands without a delay. Sometimes the phrase carries a whiff of disapproval. People often use it when the commands seem overly entitled or unreasonable. Beck is a shortening of beckon, which means to signal or issue a command by a gesture. Call is a call, a word we use every day.
Beck and call examples
Beck and call is not the only phrase in English that’s commonly spelled wrong because people hear it wrong. Foolproof is another one, as is Saint Paddy’s Day, to name just a couple.
