4-1-1 is the telephone number for local directory assistance in the United States and Canada. One exception is the Pacific Northwest, which used 1-1-3 until the mid-1980s. Until the early 1980s, 4-1-1 calls were free in most states.

4-1-1 has also been used for long-distance directory assistance in most areas in the United States and all of Canada. The traditional long-distance directory assistance number is 1-area code-555-1212.

4-1-1 is also commonly referred to as "D.A.", "Directory Assistance", or "Information". Prior to the introduction of Direct Distance Dialing (DDD) in the 1950s, which required dialing "1" to initiate a DDD call, the number for "Information" was 1-1-3 ("Repair" was 1-1-4). All existing local numbers beginning with 1 had to be changed, so "Information" and "Repair" (and others) changed to 411 and 611, respectively. Outside North America, "1-1-N" numbers are still in use, for these and other services.

Approximately 6 billion calls are made to 4-1-1 within the United States every year.

Contents

• 1 Landline telephone companies
• 2 Landline telephone directory assistance
• 3 Wireless telephone directory
• 4 See also
• 5 References
• 6 Further reading

Etymology

Based on the telephone number used in North America to obtain telephone numbers of listed subscribers.

411 (uncountable)

1. (slang) The latest scoop, information or news.

   Guess what?! I have the 411 on Nick and Judy's breakup.

• InfoSpace People
  search.infospace.com
  Look up people within the United States by name, city, and state.
• AskWP
  askwp.com
  Business and residential directory with reverse phone number search and maps.
• Canada 411
  canada411.ca
  Offers residential, business, and toll free lookups for Canada.