How to Lookup Phone Numbers

If you need to find a phone number of a person or business, there are several methods you may use to do so. You may use online or offline methods, call special pay services from your phone, or strictly use free search options. Following is a discussion about how to use all of these at some point or another.

Online Searches

If you choose to lookup phone numbers using the Internet, you may visit paid or free sites, such as WhitePages.com. These sites allow you to search for numbers anywhere in the U.S. by name, location and/or business information. You can also conduct a reverse search on these sites, which means you simply input a phone number in order to discover who owns it or the address or business it is attached to.

Offline Searches

Just as you can on the Internet, you can use the phone book to look up phone numbers. White pages offer residential information and numbers, and yellow pages provide addresses, websites, emails and numbers for businesses. These sections are alphabetized, and businesses are further categorized and grouped together with similar types of businesses. This way, when you want to find a business in your area that offers a certain service, you simply find that service section and you'll see several businesses listed alphabetically that offer it.

The phone book also provides a way to look up government offices and phone numbers when you need to contact a local or state official or service. These numbers are separated into agencies, committees and services such as permits, emergency services and other departments when provided by your local phone book publisher.

411 Services

If you find that you cannot access a phone book or the Internet, you can always dial 4-1-1 from a land or cell phone to lookup phone numbers. This service will charge a fee, but you can obtain the phone number and even address if you find yourself needing information immediately. This is often a helpful service if you do not have a smartphone that can access the Internet while you are traveling to a new destination.

Call your local or cell service provider and inquire about the relevant charges for dialing 411 services from your particular phone. These rates will often vary between land and cellular lines, and should be flat rates.

Find a Number for Free

Free lookup options are always available online at several different Internet sites. The information available at no cost usually includes the address and phone number of the individual you're searching for. However, if you require more detailed information or want an unlisted number, you will often need to retain paid services to do so. Reverse and cell phone searches may also require you to use a paid service, as cell phone numbers are not publicly available.

When you need to look up a phone number, you may choose any one of these methods to find the information you seek. Whether you use a pay service, free online search or the phone book provided by your local service, you can find an individual's or business's number and address no matter where they are located.