isbn

IPA/ˌaɪ es biː ˈen/
KK[ˌaɪˌɛsbˌiˈɛn]IPA/ˌaɪ es biː ˈen/

isbn — noun

  • isbnsingular
  • isbnsplural

1. a unique series of digits printed on a published book that bookshops, libraries,

1.nounB1
Definition

a unique series of digits printed on a published book that bookshops, libraries, and online retailers use to find the exact title, edition, and publisher of that book.

Example

Every new book gets a unique ISBN before it reaches the shops.

collocation: unique ISBN

Zuri wrote the ISBN on the order form for the correct textbook.

Common collocations
  • check the ISBN
  • unique ISBN
  • ISBN code
  • the ISBN of [a book]

Grammar Patterns

the ISBN of [book]

[book/noun] has/needs an ISBN

Usage Note

Always written in capital letters. Often pronounced letter by letter as "eye-es-bee-en." The term is also commonly followed by the word number, as in ISBN number, even though the letter N already stands for 'Number.'

Common Mistakes

Please give me the ISBN number of the book.' (redundant)
Please give me the ISBN of the book.
the N in ISBN already means 'Number,' so adding 'number' is repetitive, though many native speakers say it anyway.

isbn — abbreviation

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

ISBN, ISSN, and UPC are all identification codes but serve different purposes. ISBN (International Standard Book Number) uniquely identifies a specific edition of a book. ISSN (International Standard Serial Number) is used for periodicals such as magazines and journals, with a new number assigned to the entire series rather than each individual issue. UPC (Universal Product Code) is a general retail barcode found on many consumer products, including books, but it does not distinguish between editions the way an ISBN does. A barcode is the visual pattern of lines and spaces that encodes any of these numbers so that a scanner can read them. For example, a hardcover and a paperback edition of the same novel share the same title but have different ISBNs, whereas a magazine carries the same ISSN for every monthly issue.

ISSN ↗UPC ↗barcode ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • ISBN number
  • the ISBN of a book
  • a unique ISBN

Prepositions

  • with an ISBN
  • without an ISBN

Etymology

English

ISBN is an initialism formed from the first letters of International Standard Book Number. The book-numbering system was first introduced in the United Kingdom in 1966 as the Standard Book Number (SBN) and adopted internationally as the ISBN by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) in 1970 under standard ISO 2108.