Military Alphabet: the NATO Phonetic Alphabet
Spell anything the military way:
All 26 code words with pronunciation
| Letter | Code word | Pronounced | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | Alfa | AL-FAH | |
| B | Bravo | BRAH-VOH | |
| C | Charlie | CHAR-LEE | |
| D | Delta | DELL-TAH | |
| E | Echo | ECK-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 | 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-RAH | |
| T | Tango | TANG-GO | |
| U | Uniform | YOU-NEE-FORM | |
| V | Victor | VIK-TAH | |
| W | Whiskey | WISS-KEY | |
| X | X-ray | ECKS-RAY | |
| Y | Yankee | YANG-KEY | |
| Z | Zulu | ZOO-LOO |
Numbers
| Digit | Code word | Pronounced | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | Zero | ZE-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 |
Quiz: letter to code word
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Where it came from
The alphabet was standardised by the International Civil Aviation Organization in 1956 after tests across English, French and Spanish speakers, and adopted by NATO the same year, replacing the Second World War "Able Baker" alphabet. The pronunciations above follow the ICAO table; Alfa and Juliett are spelled that way deliberately. Related: military time uses the same letters for time zones.
Frequently asked questions
What is the military alphabet?
The military alphabet is the NATO phonetic alphabet (officially the ICAO spelling alphabet): 26 code words from Alfa to Zulu that stand for letters so that spelling over radio or phone is unambiguous. All NATO forces, civil aviation and most emergency services use it.
Why is it spelled Alfa and Juliett?
The ICAO standard spells Alfa with an f and Juliett with two t's so that speakers of French and other languages pronounce them correctly; "Alpha" and "Juliet" are common informal spellings.
How are numbers said in the military alphabet?
Digits are pronounced to avoid confusion: three as TREE, four as FOW-ER, five as FIFE, nine as NIN-ER, and zero as ZE-RO. Numbers are read digit by digit: 1530 is "wun fife tree ze-ro".
Is Zulu in the alphabet the same as Zulu time?
Yes. Zulu is the code word for Z, and Z is the letter for the UTC time zone, which is why UTC is called Zulu time in military messages.