If a phone number is toll-free, you pay nothing to call it. The company you are calling pays instead.

If a phone number is toll-free如果一個電話號碼是toll-free，you pay nothing to call it你打這個電話不用付錢。The company you are calling你打去的那家公司 pays instead反而是它付錢

This is the normal American word; in Britain people usually say freephone, and a British freephone number starts with 0800. Toll-free works as an adjective — a toll-free number, a toll-free hotline — and also as an adverb: 'Call us toll-free on 1-800…'. In the US these numbers begin 1-800, and also 888, 877, 866, so American people often just say 'an 800 number' and mean the same thing.

This這 is the normal American word是美式英文的常用說法；in Britain在英國 people usually say freephone通常會說freephone，and a British freephone number starts with 0800而英國的freephone號碼是0800開頭。Toll-free Toll-free works as an adjective可以當形容詞用──a toll-free numbera toll-free number、a toll-free hotlinea toll-free hotline──and also as an adverb也可以當副詞用：'Call us toll-free on 1-800…'像「Call us toll-free on 1-800…」。In the US在美國 these numbers begin 1-800這種號碼是1-800開頭，and also 888, 877, 866也有888、877、866，so American people often just say 'an 800 number' and mean the same thing所以美國人常常直接說「an 800 number」，意思一樣

You mostly meet the word in advertising, on packaging, and at the end of TV commercials — it is a selling point, a small promise that asking costs you nothing.

You你 mostly meet the word in advertising, on packaging, and at the end of TV commercials大多會在廣告、包裝，還有電視廣告結尾看到這個詞──it它 is a selling point是一個賣點，a small promise that asking costs you nothing一個小小的保證，說你問一下不花錢

Note that toll-free says nothing about the service being free; you may still be told to pay for the product. Only the call is free.

Note請注意 that toll-free says nothing about the service being freetoll-free不代表這項服務是免費的；you你 may still be told to pay for the product還是可能要付產品的錢。Only the call只有這通電話 is free是免費的

The word toll on its own means money you pay to use a road or bridge, and that older sense survives in toll road and tollbooth — so toll-free literally means 'no fee to pass through'.

The word toll on its own toll這個字單獨用 means money you pay to use a road or bridge是指你用一條路或一座橋要付的錢，and that older sense survives in toll road and tollbooth而這個比較舊的意思還留在toll road和tollbooth裡──so所以 toll-free literally means 'no fee to pass through'toll-free字面上就是「通過不用付費」

In practice the phone sense is what you will hear ninety-nine times out of a hundred. One small thing: calling a US toll-free number from another country usually does not work, or is not free, because the company only pays for calls inside its own country.

In practice實際上 the phone sense電話這個意思 is what you will hear ninety-nine times out of a hundred是你一百次裡有九十九次會聽到的意思。One small thing一個小提醒：calling a US toll-free number from another country從別的國家打美國的toll-free號碼 usually does not work, or is not free通常打不通，或不是免費的，because the company only pays for calls inside its own country因為那家公司只負擔自己國內打來的電話費