Introduction
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.
|