The Phonetic Alphabet is used to spell letters in place of just
saying the letter itself. By using a word for each letter there is
less chance that the person listening will confuse letters. For
instance, some letters than can easily be confused are "b" and "e".
The phonetic alphabet is used in radio communications around the
world by maritime units, aircraft, amateur radio operators and the military.
Phonetic Alphabet
| Letter |
Pronunciation |
Letter |
Pronunciation |
| A |
Alpha (AL fah) |
N |
November (no VEM ber) |
| B |
Bravo (BRAH VOH) |
O |
Oscar (OSS cah) |
| C |
Charlie (CHAR lee) |
P |
Papa (pah PAH) |
| D |
Delta (DELL tah) |
Q |
Quebec (keh BECK) |
| E |
Echo (ECK oh) |
R |
Romeo (ROW me oh) |
| F |
Foxtrot (FOKS trot) |
S |
Sierra (see AIR rah) |
| G |
Golf (GOLF) |
T |
Tango (TANG go) |
| H |
Hotel (hoh TELL) |
U |
Uniform (YOU nee form) |
| I |
India (IN dee ah) |
V |
Victor (VIK tah) |
| J |
Juliett (JEW lee ETT) |
W |
Whiskey (WISS key) |
| K |
Kilo (KEY loh) |
X |
X Ray (ECKS RAY) |
| L |
Lima (LEE mah) |
Y |
Yankee (YANG key) |
| M |
Mike (MIKE) |
Z |
Zulu (ZOO loo) |
Note: The syllables printed in capital letters are to be stressed.
How it is used?
Aviation:
The letters on aircraft tail numbers are spelled phonetically.
For instance, when calling the tower, aircraft with tail number "2304J"
would be pronounced "2304 Juliett". Also the Airport Terminal
Information Service (ATIS)
assigns sequential letters to the broadcasts since these are frequently updated such
as "Information Kilo".
Amateur Radio:
Call signs are routinely spelled using phonetics for
instance the call sign AK8Y would be "Alpha Kilo 8 Yankee".
Military:
When sending information that contains letter or names that need
to be spelled, the phonetic alphabet is used.
Activities
- Can you spell your name using the phonetic alphabet?
- What letters other than "b" and "e" could be confused if
the phonetic alphabet is not used?
from
The Mobile Aeronautics Education Laboratory:
our Phonetic Alphabet
NASA/Glenn Research Center
Educational Programs Officer: R. Lynn Bondurant
Curator: Bruce Bream {
bruce.bream@grc.nasa.gov}
Last Update: 6 February 1996
I hope you enjoyed your visit to Kevin and Phonetics!