Complete NATO Phonetic Alphabet Reference
The complete A-Z and 0-9 reference guide with pronunciation, morse code, and usage examples for the international radiotelephony spelling alphabet.
Letters A-Z
Alfa
AL-fah
Bravo
BRAH-voh
Charlie
CHAR-lee
Delta
DELL-tah
Echo
ECK-oh
Foxtrot
FOKS-trot
Golf
GOLF
Hotel
hoh-TELL
India
IN-dee-ah
Juliett
JEW-lee-ett
Kilo
KEY-loh
Lima
LEE-mah
Mike
MIKE
November
no-VEM-ber
Oscar
OSS-cah
Papa
pah-PAH
Quebec
keh-BECK
Romeo
ROW-me-oh
Sierra
see-AIR-rah
Tango
TANG-go
Uniform
YOU-nee-form
Victor
VIK-tah
Whiskey
WISS-key
X-ray
ECKS-ray
Yankee
YANG-key
Zulu
ZOO-loo
Numbers 0-9
Zero
ZEE-ro
One
WUN
Two
TOO
Three
TREE
Four
FOW-er
Five
FIFE
Six
SIX
Seven
SEV-en
Eight
AIT
Nine
NIN-er
History of the NATO Alphabet
The NATO phonetic alphabet, officially known as the International Radiotelephony Spelling Alphabet (ICAO/ITU/NATO), was developed in the 1950s to ensure clear communication across different languages and radio systems.
Before its adoption, different organizations used various phonetic alphabets, leading to confusion. The current system was designed through extensive testing to ensure each word was easily distinguishable from others, even in poor radio conditions.
Why "Alfa" not "Alpha"?
You might notice that some spellings differ from standard English (Alfa vs. Alpha, Juliett vs. Juliet). This was intentional! The alphabet was designed to work across multiple languages. "Alfa" was chosen because some languages don't use the "ph" digraph, and "Juliett" has two t's to indicate it's not pronounced as the French "Juillet."
Global Adoption
Today, the NATO phonetic alphabet is used by:
- Aviation (pilots and air traffic control worldwide)
- Military forces (NATO and non-NATO countries)
- Emergency services (police, fire, ambulance)
- Maritime operations
- Customer service centers
- Amateur radio operators
How to Use the NATO Alphabet
Basic Usage
When spelling out a word, replace each letter with its NATO code word:
Example: FLIGHT
Foxtrot - Lima - India - Golf - Hotel - Tango
Common Scenarios
- ✈️Aviation: "Cleared for takeoff, runway 2-7, Alpha-Bravo-Charlie"
- 📞Customer Service: "Your confirmation code is Delta-5-Lima-9"
- 🚔Police: "License plate Charlie-Delta-Echo-1-2-3"
💡 Pro Tip
Practice with your name, address, and email first. Once you can spell those fluently, you'll be ready for any situation!
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