Abstract: A telephone accessory for detecting and recording and optionally displaying the number of rings sounded by a telephone which is ringing is disclosed. The accessory includes detecting means to detect the sound of the rings of the telephone, counting means associated with the detecting means to count the number of rings sounded by the telephone; recording/storage means associated with the counting means to record/store the number of rings counted; and optionally display means associated with the recording/storing means to display the number of rings recorded/stored.A telephone accessory according to the invention can be a relatively inexpensive electronic circuit which does not include tape drives. The accessory can indicate that a particular caller has called without the telephone receiver being disengaged and in these circumstances a call by the caller does not cost anything.