Spelling a name over the phone goes wrong on the same letters every time: B and D, M and N, F and S. The NATO phonetic alphabet fixes that by giving every letter a code word that can't be confused with any other, even on a bad line. Type your name above and the tool spells it out, shows how each word is said, and reads it aloud so you can practise before the next call.
Most people only need it for their own name, email address or a booking reference, so the chart under the tool doubles as a quick reference you can keep open.
Names Spelled Out
| Name | NATO spelling |
|---|---|
| Siobhan | Sierra India Oscar Bravo Hotel Alfa November |
| Nguyen | November Golf Uniform Yankee Echo November |
| Matthew | Mike Alfa Tango Tango Hotel Echo Whiskey |
| Zoë | Zulu Oscar Echo (the accent is dropped) |
| Kaitlyn | Kilo Alfa India Tango Lima Yankee November |
| Phoebe | Papa Hotel Oscar Echo Bravo Echo |
Three Alphabets Compared
The international standard since 1956, built so speakers of English, French and Spanish can all say it
- Alfa
- Juliett
- X-ray
Still heard on many American police radios, with everyday names and words
- Adam
- John
- X-ray
The US/UK joint alphabet of the Second World War, retired in 1956
- Able
- Jig
- X-ray
Spelling a Name Clearly
- Say the plain name first, then spell it: "Nguyen, that's November Golf Uniform..."
- Pause between first name and surname so the listener knows where one ends
- Say "double Tango" only if the other person already knows the convention
- Make up your own words ("S for sugar") on a work call, as the listener has to guess
- Mix alphabets in one spelling
- Rush the hard pairs: M and N, B and D, F and S
Common Questions
Why is it spelled Alfa and Juliett instead of Alpha and Juliet?
The ICAO chose spellings that non-English speakers would pronounce correctly. Speakers of many languages wouldn't read the "ph" in Alpha as an F sound, and French speakers would treat the single final t in "Juliet" as silent, so the official forms are Alfa and Juliett.
How do you say numbers in the NATO phonetic alphabet?
Digits are mostly said as normal, but three are changed for clarity on the radio: 3 is "tree", 5 is "fife" and 9 is "niner", so nine can't be mistaken for the German "nein". The tool uses these radio forms (plus "fower" for 4) when you spell a number in the NATO alphabet, and reads them aloud the same way.
Who uses the NATO phonetic alphabet?
Pilots and air traffic control, the armed forces, ships, emergency services, amateur radio operators, and a lot of customer service and IT support teams. It is officially called the International Radiotelephony Spelling Alphabet.
How do I spell letters with accents, like é or ñ?
There are no separate code words for accented letters in the standard alphabet, so the tool spells the base letter (é becomes Echo). If the accent matters, say it after the letter, for example "Echo with an acute accent".