About the NATO Phonetic Alphabet tool
The NATO phonetic alphabet gives every letter a code word: A is Alfa, B is Bravo, C is Charlie. On a bad phone line, *B*, *D*, *P* and *T* sound almost the same — but *Bravo*, *Delta*, *Papa* and *Tango* do not.
Type a name, an email, a booking code or a postcode, and this tool spells it out at once. Press Read aloud to hear it word by word, and print the chart for your desk.
It runs in your browser. The voice is your browser's own; nothing is uploaded.
Features
- Instant spelling of any text — letters, digits and common signs (@, dot, dash)
- Official ICAO spellings — *Alfa* and *Juliett*, not *Alpha* and *Juliet*
- Digits two ways — the radio way (*Tree, Fower, Fife, Niner*) or plain (*Three, Four, Five, Nine*)
- Read aloud — one word at a time, the card being said lights up, three speeds
- Copy as code words only, *letter – word* pairs, or one letter per line
- Printable chart of A–Z and 0–9 with how to say each word — 7 styles, PDF and PNG
- Fullscreen to show the chart on a big screen
The NATO alphabet, A to Z
The spellings and the way to say them come from the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). The Say it column is the ICAO guide to saying each word.
| Letter | Code word | Say it |
|---|---|---|
| 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 on the radio
Pilots and radio operators say some digits in a special way, so they are not mixed up. *Five* and *nine* sound alike on a noisy radio; *Fife* and *Niner* do not.
| Digit | Radio word | Say it |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | Zero | ZE-RO |
| 1 | One | WUN |
| 2 | Two | TOO |
| 3 | Tree | TREE |
| 4 | Fower | FOW-ER |
| 5 | Fife | FIFE |
| 6 | Six | SIX |
| 7 | Seven | SEV-EN |
| 8 | Eight | AIT |
| 9 | Niner | NIN-ER |
On the phone, most people just say the plain numbers. Choose Plain for that.
Why "Alfa" and "Juliett"?
The alphabet is used all over the world, so the spelling had to be read the same way in many languages. In French and some other languages, *ph* is not said as *f*, so Alpha became Alfa. In French a single *t* at the end can be silent, so Juliet became Juliett. Both spellings are the official ones.
Where people use it
- Phone calls — spelling your name, an email address or a booking reference to a call centre
- Aviation and the military — call signs and positions on the radio
- Police and emergency services — number plates and names
- Customer service — reading out order numbers and codes
- Learning it — for a job, for amateur radio, or for fun
Example: the name Smith 42 is *Sierra Mike India Tango Hotel / Fower Two*.
Frequently asked questions
What is the NATO phonetic alphabet?
It is a spelling alphabet: 26 code words, one for each letter, from Alfa to Zulu. It was agreed in the 1950s by ICAO and NATO, and it is used around the world on the radio and on the phone.
Is it Alfa or Alpha?
The official spelling is Alfa (and Juliett with two t's). *Alpha* and *Juliet* are common and everyone understands them, but the ICAO list uses Alfa and Juliett.
Is the police alphabet the same?
Most police forces today use the same NATO alphabet. Some older US police alphabets used other words (*Adam, Boy, Charles…*). This tool uses the NATO / ICAO words.
How do I spell an email address?
Type it in. The @ becomes *At*. The dot becomes *Dot* with Plain digits, or *Decimal* (the ICAO radio word) with Radio digits. Choose Copy as: Letter – word to read it out clearly.
Can I print the chart?
Yes. Pick a style, then press Download PDF or Print. The chart fits one US Letter page (A4 on other language versions). There is also a PNG for a screen or a slide.
Why does Read aloud sound different on my phone?
The voice comes from your own device. Windows, Mac, Android and iPhone each have their own voices. If nothing plays, your browser may not support speech.
Related tools
- Morse Code Translator — text to Morse code, with sound and light
- Text to Speech — read any text aloud
- Braille Translator — text to braille dots
- Binary Translator — text to ones and zeros
- Case Converter — UPPER, lower and Title Case
How to use it
- Type a name, a word or a code in the box
- Read the cards: each letter with its code word and how to say it
- Choose how to copy it and how to say digits, then press Copy
- Press Read aloud to hear it, and Stop to end
- For a chart, pick a style, then Download PDF, Download PNG or Print
