NATO / ICAO Standard · Adopted 1956

NATO Phonetic Alphabet

26 codewords · pronunciation · audio · text converter

The NATO phonetic alphabet — officially the International Radiotelephony Spelling Alphabet — assigns 26 codewords, Alfa through Zulu, to the letters A–Z so spelling survives noisy radio links. Adopted by ICAO in 1956, it is the standard spelling alphabet for NATO, aviation, maritime and emergency services worldwide.

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NATO Alphabet A–Z

Official spellings use Alfa and Juliett. “Alpha” and “Juliet” are familiar variants. Source: ICAO alphabet history.

A
Alfa
AL-fah
B
Bravo
BRAH-voh
C
Charlie
CHAR-lee
D
Delta
DEL-tah
E
Echo
EKK-oh
F
Foxtrot
FOKS-trot
G
Golf
Golf
H
Hotel
HOH-tell
I
India
IN-dee-ah
J
Juliett
JEW-lee-ett
K
Kilo
KEY-loh
L
Lima
LEE-mah
M
Mike
Myke
N
November
NOH-vem-ber
O
Oscar
OSS-car
P
Papa
PAH-pah
Q
Quebec
keh-BECK
R
Romeo
ROH-me-oh
S
Sierra
see-AIR-ah
T
Tango
TANG-go
U
Uniform
YOU-nee-form
V
Victor
VIK-ter
W
Whiskey
WISS-key
X
X-Ray
EKS-ray
Y
Yankee
YANG-kee
Z
Zulu
ZOO-loo

Phonetic Numbers

0
Zero
ZEE-roh
1
One
WUN
2
Two
TOO
3
Three
TREE
4
Four
FOW-er
5
Five
FIFE
6
Six
SIX
7
Seven
SEV-en
8
Eight
AIT
9
Nine
NIN-er

Usage Rules

Use the exact codeword for each letter and speak clearly. For names and email addresses, say punctuation explicitly, such as at-sign or dot. For radio traffic, follow the phraseology and readback requirements of the relevant service.

History

ICAO tested each word against noise, interference, and 31 language groups. Alfa (not Alpha) — prevents Spanish/Portuguese mispronunciation. Juliett (double-T) — forces French speakers to pronounce the final consonant. Niner is the radiotelephony pronunciation of the digit 9.

Practice with real words

Spell your name or a callsign using the converter, then practice the NATO alphabet. For radio acknowledgments, see ROGER and WILCO.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is it spelled Alfa and not Alpha?

ICAO uses the spellings Alfa and Juliett deliberately: 'ph' is not pronounced 'f' in many languages, and a single-t Juliet could be misread by French speakers. The altered spellings force the correct pronunciation.

Is the military alphabet the same as the NATO phonetic alphabet?

Yes. 'Military alphabet' is the informal name for the NATO phonetic alphabet (officially the International Radiotelephony Spelling Alphabet), standardized in 1956 and used by NATO forces, ICAO aviation and emergency services.

What is the NATO phonetic alphabet in order from A to Z?

Alfa, Bravo, Charlie, Delta, Echo, Foxtrot, Golf, Hotel, India, Juliett, Kilo, Lima, Mike, November, Oscar, Papa, Quebec, Romeo, Sierra, Tango, Uniform, Victor, Whiskey, X-ray, Yankee, Zulu.

How are numbers pronounced in the NATO alphabet?

Digits are spoken individually with modified pronunciations for clarity: 3 is 'tree', 4 is 'fower', 5 is 'fife' and 9 is 'niner' — so 1945 is spoken 'wun niner fower fife'.

Who uses the NATO phonetic alphabet?

NATO militaries, civil aviation (ICAO), maritime services, amateur radio operators, police and emergency dispatch in many countries, and call centers spelling names, emails and booking references over the phone.

What alphabet was used before the NATO alphabet?

The Able Baker alphabet (Able, Baker, Charlie, Dog...) used by US and UK forces through WWII. It was too English-centric, so ICAO developed the current alphabet, finalized in 1956 after testing across 31 language groups.

How do I spell an email address over the phone?

Spell each letter with its codeword: 'john@' is Juliett, Oscar, Hotel, November, at-sign. Say 'dot' for periods, 'dash' for hyphens, 'underscore' for _, and 'capital' before uppercase letters.