Can you please tell me if it is correct and natural to say find someone by their phone number in the context of searching someone's information in a system? For example:
I don't see any appoinments set up under your name in our system. Let me try to find you by your phone number.
If it doesn't sound natual, does let me try to find you with your phone number sounds better?
If they don't sound natural, would you give me alternative phrases to convey the message.
Best Answer
It's quite correct and natural. It's another case of an understood word 'using', which would be after the 'by'.
Possibly a better way would be 'using your phone number' (in this case the 'by' is understood.
Probably the most natural way of saying this would be simply: "Let me try your phone number".
Again, there are 'understood' words in this shorter example. The full sentence, would be: ""Let me try and find you by using your phone number", but no one would say that in practice.