Is It Beck and Call or *Beckon Call?

Beck and call is the correct spelling of the phrase that’s part of the expression “to be at someone’s beck and call,” which means “to be ready to follow someone’s commands.”

Beckon call is a common misspelling of the phrase and should be avoided.

The QuillBot Grammar Checker will fix this and other common mistakes automatically.

Examples: Beck and call or beckon call in a sentence
  • Damien is at the beckon call of his mom.
  • Damien is at the beck and call of his mom.
  • You don’t have to be at my beckon call.
  • You don’t have to be at my beck and call.

The noun beck is related to the verb beckon, but they have different meanings and can’t be used as synonyms. Beck is typically only used as part of the expression beck and call.

How to use beck and call

Beck and call is part of the expression “at someone’s beck and call,” which means “willing to follow someone’s orders.” It’s used to indicate that someone is subservient or, in a negative sense, that someone’s expectations of another are too high.

Examples: Beck and call in a sentence
The chauffeur was at the family’s beck and call.

I can’t be at your beck and call every hour of the day!

As a butler, you have to be at the beck and call of your employer.

Frequently asked questions about beck and call or beckon call

What does beckon mean?

Beckon is a verb meaning “making a gesture to instruct or encourage someone to come over.”

It’s sometimes incorrectly inserted into the expression beck and call. The correct phrase is always “beck and call,” not “beckon call.”

Use the QuillBot Grammar Checker to automatically fix your mistakes for free.

Is it beck and call or beg and call?

The correct spelling of this phrase is beck and call. It is part of the expression “to be at someone’s beck and call,” which means “to be ready to follow someone’s orders.”

  • David is at the beck and call of his mother.

Beg and call is a misspelling of this phrase, but it may occasionally appear in a different context if you combine the verbs “to beg” and “to call.”

  • I beg and call but she doesn’t want to listen to me.

Use the QuillBot Grammar Checker to automatically fix your mistakes for free.

Is this article helpful?
Julia Merkus, MA

Julia has a bachelor in Dutch language and culture and two masters in Linguistics and Language and speech pathology. After a few years as an editor, researcher, and teacher, she now writes articles about her specialist topics: grammar, linguistics, methodology, and statistics.