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The NATO Phonetic Alphabet
The Phonetic Alphabet is mainly used in two-way radio communications when spelling out a word rather than just saying the letters. This reduces the risk of letters being confused. I am sure most people have had trouble on the phone spelling their name, or someone else’s name. How many times have you had to say, "S for sugar”, or "N for nuts”? By using a phonetic alphabet, the effects of noise, distortion, and accents are reduced.
During World War II a joint Army and Navy phonetic alphabet, sometimes known as "able baker", was developed. The RAF used several versions. Since the war several versions have been tried. The following is the current international standard used by all NATO countries.
| Letter |
Word |
Letter |
Word |
| a |
Alfa (AL FAH) |
n |
November (NO VEM BER) |
| b |
Bravo (BRAH VOH) |
o |
Oscar (OSS CAH) |
| c |
Charlie (CHAR LEE) |
p |
Papa (PAH PAH) |
| d |
Delta (DELL TAH) |
q |
Quebec (KEH BECK) |
| e |
Echo (ECK OH) |
r |
Romeo (ROW ME OH) |
| f |
Foxtrot (FOKS TROT) |
s |
Sierra (SEE AIR RAH) |
| g |
Golf (GOLF) |
t |
Tango (TANG GO) |
| h |
Hotel (HO TELL) |
u |
Uniform (YOU NEE FORM) |
| i |
India (IN DEE AH |
v |
Victor (VIK TAH) |
| j |
Juliet (JEW LEE ETT) |
w |
Whiskey (WISS KEY) |
| k |
Kilo (KEY LOH) |
x |
X-ray (ECKS RAY) |
| l |
Lima (LEE MAH) |
y |
Yankee (YANG KEY) |
| m |
Mike (MIKE) |
z |
Zulu (ZOO LOO) |
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