Phillips was born on July 4, 1918 in Sioux City, Iowa. Her parents were Jewish-Russian immigrants. She studied at Morningside College. Her twin sister, Esther "Eppie" Pauline Friedman Lederer, was also a well-known advice columnist. She used the name Ann Landers.
f ɪ l ɪ p s WORD_BOUNDARY w ʌ z WORD_BOUNDARY b ɔ ɹ n WORD_BOUNDARY ɔ n WORD_BOUNDARY d̠ʒ uː l aɪ WORD_BOUNDARY f ɔ ɹ WORD_BOUNDARY n aɪ n t iː n h ʌ n d ɹ ɪ d WORD_BOUNDARY eɪ t iː n WORD_BOUNDARY ɪ n WORD_BOUNDARY s uː WORD_BOUNDARY s ɪ t i WORD_BOUNDARY aɪ ə w ə WORD_BOUNDARY h ɜː WORD_BOUNDARY p ɛ ɹ ə n t s WORD_BOUNDARY w ɜː WORD_BOUNDARY d̠ʒ uː ɪ ʃ ɹ ʌ ʃ ə n WORD_BOUNDARY ɪ m ɪ ɡ ɹ ə n t s WORD_BOUNDARY ʃ iː WORD_BOUNDARY s t ʌ d i d WORD_BOUNDARY æ t WORD_BOUNDARY m ɔ ɹ n ɪ ŋ s aɪ d WORD_BOUNDARY k ɑ l ɪ d̠ʒ WORD_BOUNDARY h ɜː WORD_BOUNDARY t w ɪ n WORD_BOUNDARY s ɪ s t ə ɹ ɹ WORD_BOUNDARY ɛ s t ə ɹ ɹ WORD_BOUNDARY ɛ p i WORD_BOUNDARY p ɔ l ɪ n WORD_BOUNDARY f ɹ iː d m ə n WORD_BOUNDARY l ɛ d ə ɹ ɹ ə ɹ WORD_BOUNDARY w ʌ z WORD_BOUNDARY ɔ l s oʊ WORD_BOUNDARY ʌ WORD_BOUNDARY w ɛ l n oʊ n WORD_BOUNDARY ʌ d v aɪ s WORD_BOUNDARY k ɑ l ə m n ɪ s t WORD_BOUNDARY ʃ iː WORD_BOUNDARY j uː z d WORD_BOUNDARY ð ə WORD_BOUNDARY n eɪ m WORD_BOUNDARY æ n WORD_BOUNDARY l æ n d ə ɹ z WORD_BOUNDARY