How to spell text in the NATO alphabet
- Type the name, code or reference into Input.
- Each letter appears as its code word and each digit as a word, with a slash where there was a space.
- Read the result aloud on the phone or copy it into a message. Paste code words (Hotel Echo Lima Lima Oscar) to turn them back into text.
The full NATO alphabet
| Letter | Code word | Letter | Code word |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | Alfa | N | November |
| B | Bravo | O | Oscar |
| C | Charlie | P | Papa |
| D | Delta | Q | Quebec |
| E | Echo | R | Romeo |
| F | Foxtrot | S | Sierra |
| G | Golf | T | Tango |
| H | Hotel | U | Uniform |
| I | India | V | Victor |
| J | Juliett | W | Whiskey |
| K | Kilo | X | X-ray |
| L | Lima | Y | Yankee |
| M | Mike | Z | Zulu |
When the phonetic alphabet helps
Letters like B, D, P and T, or M and N, sound almost the same over a bad phone line. Saying “Bravo” instead of “B” removes the guesswork, which is why the alphabet is used for booking references, serial numbers, license plates and email addresses read out to a call center.
It was adopted by the International Civil Aviation Organization in the 1950s and is used by NATO, air traffic control, shipping and emergency services. The words were chosen so English, French and Spanish speakers could all say and recognize them.