NATO Phonetic Alphabet

When speaking on the telephone, it is sometimes useful to spell a word using English phonetic spelling. To spell "Club", for example, you would say: "C for Charlie, L for Lima, U for Uniform, B for Bravo."

It is very easy to learn English phonetic spelling. Start by spelling your name, then your company or address. Soon, you will know the whole alphabet. It also helps to remember that there are several groups of words that go together:

A for Alfa [or Alpha]

B for Bravo

C for Charlie

D for Delta

E for Echo

F for Foxtrot

G for Golf

H for Hotel

I for India

J for Juliett [or Juliet]

K for Kilo

L for Lima

M for Mike

N for November

O for Oscar

P for Papa

Q for Quebec

R for Romeo

S for Sierra

T for Tango

U for Uniform

V for Victor

W for Whiskey

X for X-ray

Y for Yankee

Z for Zulu

The English Phonetic Spelling Alphabet is widely used by police and military organizations, including NATO. It is sometimes called the "NATO Phonetic Alphabet" but in fact it predates NATO by several decades. It is also sometimes called, wrongly, the "International Phonetic Alphabet".