Phonetic Alphabet #
While it can be fun to make up your own Phonetics and many people do particularly for their call sign, using it for anything important can often lead to a surprising amount of confusion. For that reason, it’s best to learn the official phonetic alphabet so that everyone uses the same terms and to maximize clarity in commmunications.
NATO phonetic alphabet #
There are others, but the most commonly used phonetic alphabet is the Radiotelephony Spelling Alphabet, commonly known as the NATO phonetic alphabet:
| Letter | Phonetic | Letter | Phonetic | Letter | Phonetic |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | Alpha | B | Bravo | C | Charlie |
| D | Delta | E | Echo | F | Foxtrot |
| G | Golf | H | Hotel | I | India |
| J | Juliett | K | Kilo | L | Lima |
| M | Mike | N | November | O | Oscar |
| P | Papa | Q | Quebec | R | Romeo |
| S | Sierra | T | Tango | U | Uniform |
| V | Victor | W | Whiskey | X | X-ray |
| Y | Yankee | Z | Zulu |