The NATO Phonetic Alphabet
The international standard spelling alphabet used by aviation, military, emergency services, and businesses worldwide since 1956.
| Letter | Code Word | Pronunciation | Morse |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | Alfa | ALFA | • — |
| B | Bravo | BRAVO | — • • • |
| C | Charlie | CHARLIE | — • — • |
| D | Delta | DELTA | — • • |
| E | Echo | ECHO | • |
| F | Foxtrot | FOXTROT | • • — • |
| G | Golf | GOLF | — — • |
| H | Hotel | HOTEL | • • • • |
| I | India | INDIA | • • |
| J | Juliett | JULIETT | • — — — |
| K | Kilo | KILO | — • — |
| L | Lima | LIMA | • — • • |
| M | Mike | MIKE | — — |
| N | November | NOVEMBER | — • |
| O | Oscar | OSCAR | — — — |
| P | Papa | PAPA | • — — • |
| Q | Quebec | QUEBEC | — — • — |
| R | Romeo | ROMEO | • — • |
| S | Sierra | SIERRA | • • • |
| T | Tango | TANGO | — |
| U | Uniform | UNIFORM | • • — |
| V | Victor | VICTOR | • • • — |
| W | Whiskey | WHISKEY | • — — |
| X | X-ray | X-RAY | — • • — |
| Y | Yankee | YANKEE | — • — — |
| Z | Zulu | ZULU | — — • • |
Numbers
| Digit | Spoken As | Aviation | Morse |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | Niner | NIN-ER | — — — — • |
History
The NATO phonetic alphabet was developed by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) in the early 1950s and formally adopted on March 1, 1956. It replaced the earlier "Able Baker" alphabet used during World War II. Each code word was extensively tested across speakers of 31 nations to ensure clear recognition in English, French, and Spanish — the three working languages of ICAO.
The alphabet has remained essentially unchanged for nearly 70 years, making it one of the most enduring international standards in existence. The only notable spelling change was "Alfa" (instead of "Alpha") to prevent mispronunciation in languages where "ph" is not pronounced as "f."
Read the full history →