Phonetic Alphabet

The phonetic alphabet is widely used to make communication clear. It’s a set of standardized words used to represent each letter of the alphabet, making it easier to understand and transmit information, especially in situations where clarity is crucial. The alphabet is used by pilots and air traffic controllers when they are talking over the radio to ensure that voice communications are clear and understandable.

An international system like this is essential for airspace safety because certain combinations of letters and numbers can be hard to understand when transmitted over the radio, particularly when spoken by non-native speakers or people with unfamiliar accents.

The phonetic alphabet, also known as the NATO phonetic alphabet, is a standardized set of words used to represent the letters of the alphabet in voice communications. This helps to avoid confusion caused by similar-sounding letters, especially in noisy environments or over radio transmissions.

This is the full NATO phonetic alphabet:

Letters

• A – Alpha (“al fah“)
• B – Bravo (“brah voh“)
• C – Charlie (“char lee“)
• D – Delta (“del tah“)
• E – Echo (“eck oh“)
• F – Foxtrot (“foks trot“)
• G – Golf (“golf“)
• H – Hotel (“hoh tell“)
• I – India (“in dee ah“)
• J – Juliet (“jew lee ett“)
• K – Kilo (“key loh“)
• L – Lima (“lee mah“)
• M – Mike (“mike“)
• N – November (“no vem ber“)
• O – Oscar (“oss cah“)
• P – Papa (“pah pah“)
• Q – Quebec (“keh beck“)
• R – Romeo (“row me oh“)
• S – Sierra (“see air ah“)
• T – Tango (“tang go“)
• U – Uniform (“you nee form“)
• V – Victor (“vik tah“)
• W – Whiskey (“wiss key“)
• X – X-ray (“eks ray“)
• Y – Yankee (“yang key“)
• Z – Zulu (“zoo loo“)

These words were chosen for their clarity and ease of understanding across different languages and communication systems.

Numbers

• 0 – Zero “zer ro“
• 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