How to Spell an Email Address Over the Phone
Email addresses are the most error-prone thing to communicate by voice. Dots, underscores, numbers, and similar-sounding letters combine to make a mess. Here's the foolproof system.
The 3-Part Email Formula
1.Spell the username character by character using NATO
2.Say "at" for the @ symbol
3.Spell the domain name if unusual; say it normally if it's gmail/yahoo/outlook
Step-by-Step Examples
jsmith@gmail.com
Username:jsmith→ Juliett, Sierra Mike India Tango Hotel
At sign:@→ "at"
Domain:gmail.com→ "Gmail dot com" (well-known, just say it)
j.smith_2@company.co.uk
Username:j.smith_2→ Juliett, dot, Sierra Mike India Tango Hotel, underscore, the number two
At sign:@→ "at"
Domain:company.co.uk→ Charlie Oscar Mike Papa Alfa November Yankee, dot Charlie Oscar, dot Uniform Kilo
mary.o'brien@hospital.org
Username:mary.o'brien→ Mike Alfa Romeo Yankee, dot, Oscar, apostrophe, Bravo Romeo India Echo November
At sign:@→ "at"
Domain:hospital.org→ Hotel Oscar Sierra Papa India Tango Alfa Lima, dot Oscar Romeo Golf
How to Say Special Characters
| Character | Say | Example |
|---|---|---|
| . | "dot" | j.smith → "Juliett, dot, Sierra Mike India Tango Hotel" |
| @ | "at" or "at sign" | name@gmail → "...at Gmail..." |
| _ | "underscore" | john_smith → "John, underscore, Smith" |
| - | "hyphen" or "dash" | john-smith → "John, hyphen, Smith" |
| + | "plus sign" | name+tag → "name, plus sign, tag" |
| 1 | "the number one" (not "el") | user1 → "user, the number one" |
| 0 | "zero" (not "oh") | user0 → "user, zero" |
Common Email Domains — Phonetic Pronunciation
| Domain | How to Say It |
|---|---|
| gmail.com | Golf Mike Alfa India Lima, dot com |
| yahoo.com | Yankee Alfa Hotel Oscar Oscar, dot com |
| outlook.com | Oscar Uniform Tango Lima Oscar Oscar Kilo, dot com |
| icloud.com | India Charlie Lima Oscar Uniform Delta, dot com |
| hotmail.com | Hotel Oscar Tango Mike Alfa India Lima, dot com |
| me.com | Mike Echo, dot com |
| aol.com | Alfa Oscar Lima, dot com |
| proton.me | Papa Romeo Oscar Tango Oscar November, dot Mike Echo |
Tip: For very well-known domains (gmail, yahoo), you can just say the name clearly rather than spelling it out. Only spell out unfamiliar or corporate domains.
Want to pre-spell your email? Type it in our converter and get the full phonetic readout ready to read over the phone.