View source for NATO phonetic alphabet

<!-- This article uses the official spellings "Alfa" and "Juliett". These are correct and intentional; please do not change them. -->
{{Short description|Letter names for unambiguous communication}}
{{Distinguish|International Phonetic Alphabet}}
{{pp-semi-indef|small=yes}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2022}}
{| class="wikitable floatright"
|+ Alphabetic code words
|-
| width="50%" |'''A'''l<!--do not change-->f<!--do not change-->a
| width="50%" | '''N'''ovember
|-
| '''B'''ravo || '''O'''scar
|-
| '''C'''harlie || '''P'''apa
|-
| '''D'''elta || '''Q'''uebec
|-
| '''E'''cho || '''R'''omeo
|-
| '''F'''oxtrot || '''S'''ierra
|-
| '''G'''olf || '''T'''ango
|-
| '''H'''otel || '''U'''niform
|-
| '''I'''ndia || '''V'''ictor
|-
| '''J'''uliet<!--do not change-->t || '''W'''hiskey
|-
| '''K'''ilo || '''X'''<!--do not change-->ray
|-
| '''L'''ima || '''Y'''ankee
|-
| '''M'''ike || '''Z'''ulu
|- align=center
|colspan=2|{{listen
|filename=NATO_Phonetic_Alphabet_reading.ogg
|title=ICAO spelling alphabet
|description=voice recording: ICAO spelling alphabet}}
|}
The '''International Radiotelephony Spelling Alphabet''' or simply the '''Radiotelephony Spelling Alphabet'''<!--the name used by ICAO is "Radiotelephony Spelling Alphabet" -- see ICAO Annex 10 in External Links-->, commonly known as the '''NATO phonetic alphabet''', is the most widely used set of clear-code words for communicating the letters of the [[Latin alphabet|Latin/Roman alphabet]]. Technically a ''radiotelephonic<!-- "-ic" per old B&W US military Morse code training videos --> [[spelling alphabet]]'', it goes by various names, including '''NATO spelling alphabet''', '''ICAO phonetic alphabet''', and '''ICAO spelling alphabet'''. The '''ITU phonetic alphabet and figure code''' is a rarely used variant that differs in the code words for digits.

Although spelling alphabets are commonly called "phonetic alphabets", they are not phonetic in the sense of [[phonetic transcription]] systems such as the [[International Phonetic Alphabet]].

To create the code, a series of international agencies assigned 26&nbsp;clear-code words (also known as "phonetic words") [[acrophony|acrophonically]] to the letters of the [[Roman alphabet|Latin alphabet]], with the goal that the letters and numbers would be easily distinguishable from one another over radio and telephone. The words were chosen to be accessible to speakers of English, French and Spanish. Some of the code words were changed over time, as they were found to be ineffective in real-life conditions. In 1956, [[NATO]] modified the then-current set used by the [[International Civil Aviation Organization]] (ICAO): the NATO version was accepted by ICAO that year, and by the [[International Telecommunication Union]] (ITU) a few years later, thus becoming the international standard.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/declassified_136216.htm|title=The NATO phonetic alphabet – Alfa, Bravo, Charlie...|website=NATO|access-date=1 January 2023|archive-date=27 December 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221227024252/https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/declassified_136216.htm/|url-status=live |date=20 October 2016}}</ref> 

The 26&nbsp;code words are as follows (ICAO spellings): ''{{not a typo|Alfa}}''<!--The correct spelling is Alfa, not Alpha, to prevent confusion in languages where ph is not pronounced as an 'f'-->, ''Bravo'', ''Charlie'', ''Delta'', ''Echo'', ''Foxtrot'', ''Golf'', ''Hotel'', ''India'', ''{{not a typo|Juliett}}<!-- The correct spelling is Juliett, not Juliet. Chosen to facilitate English pronunciation for French speakers, because they might take a single final t to be silent.-->'', ''Kilo'', ''Lima'', ''Mike'', ''November'', ''Oscar'', ''Papa'', ''Quebec'', ''Romeo'', ''Sierra'', ''Tango'', ''Uniform'', ''Victor'', ''Whiskey'', ''Xray'', ''Yankee'', and ''Zulu''.<ref group="Note">In print, these code words are commonly capitalized or written in all caps for visual salience (CCEB 2016).</ref> {{angbr|Alfa}} and {{angbr|Juliett}} are spelled that way to avoid mispronunciation by people unfamiliar with English [[orthography]]; NATO changed {{angbr|X-ray}} to {{angbr|Xray}} for the same reason.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.nato.int/nato_static_fl2014/assets/pdf/pdf_2018_01/20180111_nato-alphabet-sign-signal.pdf | date = 15 January 2018 | title = NATO phonetic alphabet, codes & signals | website = North Atlantic Treaty Organization | access-date = 16 February 2023 | archive-date = 25 September 2019 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190925211313/https://www.nato.int/nato_static_fl2014/assets/pdf/pdf_2018_01/20180111_nato-alphabet-sign-signal.pdf | url-status = live}}</ref> The code words for digits are their English names, though with their pronunciations modified in the cases of ''three'', ''four'', ''five'', ''nine'' and ''thousand''.

The code words have been stable since 1956. A 1955 NATO memo stated that:

{{Blockquote|It is known that [the spelling alphabet] has been prepared only after the most exhaustive tests on a scientific basis by several nations. One of the firmest conclusions reached was that it was not practical to make an isolated change to clear confusion between one pair of letters. To change one word involves reconsideration of the whole alphabet to ensure that the change proposed to clear one confusion does not itself introduce others.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://archives.nato.int/uploads/r/null/1/2/127039/SGM-0675-55_ENG_PDP.pdf|title=SGM-675-55: Phonetic Alphabet for NATO Use|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180412082621/http://archives.nato.int/uploads/r/null/1/2/127039/SGM-0675-55_ENG_PDP.pdf|archive-date=12 April 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>}}

==International adoption==
Soon after the code words were developed by ICAO (see [[#History|history]] below), they were adopted by other national and international organizations, including the ITU, the [[International Maritime Organization]] (IMO), the United States Federal Government as Federal Standard 1037C: Glossary of Telecommunications Terms<ref name="1037C">{{Cite web |url=https://www.its.bldrdoc.gov/fs-1037/dir-027/_3983.htm |title=Definition: phonetic alphabet |work=Federal Standard 1037C: Glossary of Telecommunication Terms |date=23 August 1996 |publisher=National Communications System |access-date=11 November 2020 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201029044959if_/https://www.its.bldrdoc.gov/fs-1037/dir-027/_3983.htm |archive-date=29 October 2020}}</ref> and its successors ANSI T1.523-2001<ref name="T1.523-2001">{{cite web |url=https://webstore.ansi.org/standards/atis/t15232001|title=T1.523-2001 - Telecom Glossary 2000|date=2001 |location=Washington, DC |publisher=American National Standards Institute |access-date=11 November 2020 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201111220733if_/https://webstore.ansi.org/standards/atis/t15232001 |archive-date=11 November 2020}}</ref> and [[Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions|ATIS]] Telecom Glossary (ATIS-0100523.2019)<ref name="ATIS">{{cite web|url=https://glossary.atis.org/glossary/phonetic-alphabet/|title=ATIS Telecom Glossary (ATIS-0100523.2019)|date=2019|location=Washington, DC|publisher=Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions|access-date=11 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201111212640if_/https://glossary.atis.org/glossary/phonetic-alphabet/|archive-date=11 November 2020|url-status=live}}</ref> (all three using the spellings "Alpha" and "Juliet"), the United States Department of Defense,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://marineparents.com/downloads/dod-terms.pdf|title=Joint Publication 1-02: Department of Defense Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms|page=414, PDF page 421|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121003155737/http://marineparents.com/downloads/dod-terms.pdf|archive-date=3 October 2012|url-status=live}}</ref> the [[Federal Aviation Administration]] (FAA) (using the spelling "Xray"), the [[International Amateur Radio Union]] (IARU), the [[American Radio Relay League]] (ARRL), the [[Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials-International]] (APCO), and by many military organizations such as NATO (using the spelling "Xray") and the now-defunct [[Southeast Asia Treaty Organization]] (SEATO).{{cn|date=November 2024}}

The same alphabetic code words are used by all agencies, but each agency chooses one of two different sets of numeric code words. NATO uses the regular English numerals (''zero'', ''one'', ''two'', etc., though with some differences in pronunciation), whereas the ITU (beginning on 1 April 1969){{sfn |ITU|1967|pp=177–179}} and the IMO created compound code words (''nadazero'', ''unaone'', ''bissotwo'' etc.). In practice the compound words are used very rarely.{{cn|date=November 2024}}

==Usage==
{{more citations needed|section|date=February 2018}}<!--first two paragraphs need more citations-->

A spelling alphabet is used to distinguish those parts of a message that contain letters and digits, because the names of many letters sound similar, for instance ''bee'' and ''pee'', ''en'' and ''em'' or ''ef'' and ''ess''. The potential for confusion increases if static or other interference is present, as is commonly the case with radio and telephonic communication. For instance, the target message "proceed to map grid DH98" would be transmitted as ''proceed to map grid Delta-Hotel-Niner-Ait''. 

Civilian industry uses the code words to avoid similar problems in the transmission of messages by telephone systems. For example, it is often used in the retail industry where customer or site details are conveyed by telephone (for example to authorize a credit agreement or confirm stock codes), although ad-hoc code words are often used in that instance. It has been used by information technology workers to communicate serial numbers and reference codes, which are often very long, by voice. Most major airlines use the alphabet to communicate [[passenger name record]]s (PNRs) internally, and in some cases, with customers. It is often used in a medical context as well.

Several codes words and sequences of code words have become well-known, such as [[Bravo Zulu]] (letter code BZ) for "well done",<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.chinfo.navy.mil/navpalib/questions/bzulu.html|title=Where does the term "Bravo Zulu" originate?|date=6 March 2005|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050306051400/http://www.chinfo.navy.mil/navpalib/questions/bzulu.html|archive-date=6 March 2005|access-date=22 August 2010}}</ref> [[Checkpoint Charlie]] (Checkpoint C) in Berlin, and [[Zulu Time]] for [[Greenwich Mean Time]] or [[Coordinated Universal Time]]. During the [[Vietnam War]], the US government referred to the [[Viet Cong]] guerrillas and the group itself as VC, or Victor Charlie; the name "Charlie" became synonymous with this force.

==Pronunciation of code words==
{{IPA notice}}

The final choice of code words for the letters of the alphabet and for the digits was made after hundreds of thousands of comprehension tests involving 31 nationalities. The qualifying feature was the likelihood of a code word being understood in the context of others. For example, ''Football'' has a higher chance of being understood than ''Foxtrot'' in isolation, but ''Foxtrot'' is superior in extended communication.<ref name="icaohistory"/>

Pronunciations were set out by the ICAO before 1956 with advice from the governments of both the United States and United Kingdom.<ref name="Rose">L.J. Rose, "Aviation's ABC: The development of the ICAO spelling alphabet", ''ICAO Bulletin'' '''11'''/2 (1956) 12–14.</ref> To eliminate national variations in pronunciation, posters illustrating the pronunciation desired by ICAO are available.<ref name="International-Civil-Aviation-Organization-2016"/> However, there remain differences in the pronunciations published by ICAO and other agencies, and ICAO has apparently conflicting Latin-alphabet and [[International Phonetic Alphabet|IPA]] transcriptions. At least some of these differences appear to be typographic errors. In 2022, the [[Deutsches Institut für Normung]] (DIN) attempted to resolve these conflicts.<ref name="DIN"/> For example, they consistently transcribe {{IPA|[a]}} for what the ICAO had transcribed variously as {{IPA|[a], [aː], [ɑ], [ɑː], [æ], [ə]}} in IPA and as ''a, ah, ar, er'' in orthography. 

Just as words are spelled out as individual letters, numbers are spelled out as individual digits. That is, 17 is rendered as ''one seven'' and 60 as ''six zero''. Depending on context, the word ''thousand'' may be used as in English, and, for whole hundreds only (when the sequence 00 occurs at the end of a number), the word ''hundred'' may be used. For example, 1300 is read as ''one three zero zero'' if it is a transponder code or serial number, and as ''one thousand three hundred'' if it is an altitude or distance.

The ICAO, NATO, and FAA use modifications of English digits as code words, with 3, 4, 5 and 9 being pronounced ''tree'', ''fower'' (rhymes with ''lower''), ''fife'' and ''niner''. The digit 3 is specified as ''tree'' so that it will not be mispronounced ''sri'' (and similarly ''thousand'' is pronounced ''tousand''); the long pronunciation of 4 (still found in some English dialects) keeps it somewhat distinct from ''for''; 5 is pronounced with a second "f" because the normal pronunciation with a "v" is easily confused with "fire"; and 9 has an extra syllable to keep it distinct from the German word ''nein'' "no".<ref>Camelia Uşurelu (2019: 461) ''Studii lingvistice. In memoriam Cristina Călăraşu''. Editura Universităţii din Bucureşti</ref> (Prior to 1956, ''three'' and ''five'' had been pronounced with the English consonants, but with the vowels broken into two syllables.) For directions presented as the hour-hand position on a clock, the additional numerals "ten", "eleven" and "twelve" are used with the word "o'clock".<ref name="International-Civil-Aviation-Organization-2016"/>{{rp|5-7}}

The ITU and IMO, however, specify a different set of code words for digits. These are compounds of ICAO and Latinesque roots.<ref name="egmdss">{{Cite web|url=https://www.egmdss.com/gmdss-courses/mod/resource/view.php?id=72|title=Phonetic Alphabet|publisher=GMDSS Courses and Simulators|access-date=23 January 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190626195307/https://www.egmdss.com/gmdss-courses/mod/resource/view.php?id=72|archive-date=26 June 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>
The IMO's GMDSS procedures permits the use of either set of code words.<ref name="egmdss"/>

===Tables===
There are two IPA transcriptions of the letter names, from the [[International Civil Aviation Organization]] (ICAO) and the [[Deutsches Institut für Normung]] (DIN). Both authorities indicate that a [[non-rhotic]] pronunciation is standard.<ref group="Note">This is reinforced by the IMO, which for example has "'''TCHAH'''-LI" as the French respelling of ''Charlie'' and "'''OSS'''-CAH", "'''VIK'''-TAH" as the English respellings of ''Oscar'' and ''Victor''.</ref> That of the ICAO, first published in 1950<!--first edition--> and reprinted many times without correction (e.g. the error in 'golf'), uses a large number of vowels. For instance, it has six low/central vowels: {{IPAblink|æ}}, {{IPAblink|a}}, {{IPAblink|aː}}, {{IPAblink|ɑ}}, {{IPAblink|ɑː}} and {{IPAblink|ə}}. The DIN consolidates all six into the single low-central vowel {{IPA|[a]}}. The DIN vowels are partly predictable, with the more open vowels {{IPA|[{{IPAlink|ɪ}} {{IPAlink|ɛ}} {{IPAlink|ɔ}}]}} in closed syllables and the more close vowels {{IPA|[{{IPAlink|i}} {{IPAlink|e}}/[[diphthong|ei̯]] {{IPAlink|o}}]}} in [[open syllable]]s, apart from ''echo'' and ''sierra'', which have {{IPA|[ɛ]}} as in English, German and Italian. The DIN also reduced the number of stressed syllables in ''bravo'' and ''x-ray'', consistent with the ICAO English respellings of those words and with the NATO change of spelling of ''x-ray'' to ''xray'' so that people would know to pronounce it as a single word.

{| class="wikitable mw-collapsible"
|+ class="nowrap"| Letter code words with pronunciation
!scope="col" rowspan="2"| Symbol
!scope="col" rowspan="2"| Code word
!scope="col" rowspan="2"| [[DIN 5009]]<br />(2022) [[International Phonetic Alphabet|{{abbr|IPA|International Phonetic Alphabet}}]]<ref name="DIN">{{cite book |title= DIN 5009:2022-06 |chapter= Appendix B: Buchstabiertafel der ICAO ("Radiotelephony Spelling Alphabet") |author= Deutsches Institut für Normung |date= 2022 |url= https://www.din.de/de/mitwirken/normenausschuesse/nia/entwuerfe/wdc-beuth:din21:341625838!full-text |access-date= 27 December 2022 |archive-date= 27 December 2022 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20221227085517/https://www.din.de/de/mitwirken/normenausschuesse/nia/entwuerfe/wdc-beuth:din21:341625838%21full-text |url-status= live |language=de}}</ref>
!scope="col" colspan="2"| [[International Civil Aviation Organization|{{abbr|ICAO|International Civil Aviation Organization}}]] (1950)<ref name="International-Civil-Aviation-Organization-2016">{{Cite book |url=https://elibrary.icao.int/reader/278655/%26returnUrl%3DaHR0cHM6Ly9lbGlicmFyeS5pY2FvLmludC9leHBsb3JlO3NlYXJjaFRleHQ9YW5uZXglMjAxMCUyMHZvbHVtZSUyMGlpO21haW5TZWFyY2g9MTt0aGVtZU5hbWU9Qmx1ZS1UaGVtZS9wcm9kdWN0LWRldGFpbHMvMjc4NjU1?productType=ebookProcedures |title=Annex 10 to the Convention on International Civil Aviation: Aeronautical Telecommunications; Volume II Communication Procedures including those with PANS status |page=§5.2.1.3, Figure 5–1 |publisher=International Civil Aviation Organization |edition=7th |date=July 2016 |access-date=18 June 2022 |url-status=live |archive-date=11 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220711183255/https://elibrary.icao.int/reader/278655/%26returnUrl%3DaHR0cHM6Ly9lbGlicmFyeS5pY2FvLmludC9leHBsb3JlO3NlYXJjaFRleHQ9YW5uZXglMjAxMCUyMHZvbHVtZSUyMGlpO21haW5TZWFyY2g9MTt0aGVtZU5hbWU9Qmx1ZS1UaGVtZS9wcm9kdWN0LWRldGFpbHMvMjc4NjU1?productType=ebookProcedures}}</ref>
|-
!scope="col"| [[International Phonetic Alphabet|{{abbr|IPA|International Phonetic Alphabet}}]]
!scope="col"| English respelling
|-
!scope="row"| A
| {{anchor|Alfa}}'''Alfa''' {{sic}}
|{{IPA|ˈalfa}}
| {{IPA|ˈælfa}}
| AL fah
|-
!scope="row"| B
| '''Bravo'''
|{{IPA|ˈbravo}}
| {{IPA|ˈbraːˈvo}} {{sic}}
| BRAH voh
|-
!scope="row"|  C
| '''Charlie'''
|{{IPA|ˈtʃali}} <br>(''or'' {{IPA|ˈʃali}})
| {{IPA|ˈtʃɑːli}} <br>(''or'' {{IPA|ˈʃɑːli}})
| CHAR lee <br>(''or'' SHAR lee)<ref name="OTAN">As of approximately 2018, NATO no longer supports the alternative pronunciations of ''Charlie'' and ''Uniform'', on either its English- or French-language portals.[https://www.nato.int/cps/fr/natohq/news_150391.htm]</ref>
|-
!scope="row"| D
|'''Delta'''
|{{IPA|ˈdɛlta}}
| {{IPA|ˈdeltɑ}}
| DELL tah
|-
!scope="row"| E
|'''Echo'''
|{{IPA|ˈɛko}}
| {{IPA|ˈeko}}
| ECK oh
|-
!scope="row"| F
|'''Foxtrot'''
|{{IPA|ˈfɔkstrɔt}}
| {{IPA|ˈfɔkstrɔt}}
| FOKS trot
|-
!scope="row"| G
|'''Golf'''
|{{IPA|ˈɡɔlf}}
| {{IPA|ɡʌlf}} {{sic}}
| golf
|-
!scope="row"| H
|'''Hotel'''
|{{IPA|hoˈtɛl}}
| {{IPA|hoːˈtel}}
| ho TELL
|-
!scope="row"| I
|'''India'''
|{{IPA|ˈɪndia}}
| {{IPA|ˈindi.ɑ}}
| IN dee ah
|-
! scope="row" | J
| {{anchor|Juliett}}'''Juliett''' {{sic}}
|{{IPA|ˈdʒuliˈɛt}}
| {{IPA|ˈdʒuːli.ˈet}}
| JEW lee ETT
|-
!scope="row"| K
|'''Kilo'''
|{{IPA|ˈkilo}}
| {{IPA|ˈkiːlo}}
| KEY loh
|-
!scope="row"| L
|'''Lima'''
|{{IPA|ˈlima}}
| {{IPA|ˈliːmɑ}}
| LEE mah
|-
!scope="row"| M
|'''Mike'''
|{{IPA|ˈmai̯k}}
| {{IPA|mɑik}}
| mike
|-
!scope="row"| N
|'''November'''
|{{IPA|noˈvɛmba}}
| {{IPA|noˈvembə}}
| no VEM ber
|-
!scope="row"| O
|'''Oscar'''
|{{IPA|ˈɔska}}
| {{IPA|ˈɔskɑ}}
| OSS cah
|-
!scope="row"| P
|'''Papa'''
|{{IPA|paˈpa}}
| {{IPA|pəˈpɑ}}
| pah PAH
|-
!scope="row"| Q
|'''Quebec'''
|{{IPA|keˈbɛk}} {{sic}}
| {{IPA|keˈbek}}
| keh BECK
|-
!scope="row"| R
|'''Romeo'''
|{{IPA|ˈromio}}
| {{IPA|ˈroːmi.o}}
| ROW me oh
|-
!scope="row"| S
| '''Sierra'''
|{{IPA|siˈɛra}}
| {{IPA|siˈerɑ}}
| see AIR rah
|-
!scope="row"| T
|'''Tango'''
|{{IPA|ˈtaŋɡo}}
| {{IPA|ˈtænɡo}}
| TANG go
|-
!scope="row"| U
|'''Uniform'''
|{{IPA|ˈjunifɔm}} <br>(''or'' {{IPA|ˈunifɔm}})
| {{IPA|ˈjuːnifɔːm}} <br>(''or'' {{IPA|ˈuːnifɔrm}} {{sic}})
|{{nowrap|YOU nee form}} <br>(''or'' {{nowrap|OO nee form}})<ref name=OTAN/>
|-
!scope="row"| V
|'''Victor'''
|{{IPA|ˈvɪkta}}
| {{IPA|ˈviktɑ}}
| VIK tah
|-
!scope="row"| W
|'''Whiskey'''
|{{IPA|ˈwɪski}}
| {{IPA|ˈwiski}}
| WISS key
|-
!scope="row"| X
|'''Xray, x-ray'''
|{{IPA|ˈɛksrei̯}}
| {{IPA|ˈeksˈrei}} {{sic}}
| ECKS ray
|-
!scope="row"| Y
|'''Yankee'''
|{{IPA|ˈjaŋki}}
| {{IPA|ˈjænki}}
| YANG key
|-
!scope="row"| Z
|'''Zulu'''
|{{IPA|ˈzulu}}
| {{IPA|ˈzuːluː}}
| ZOO loo
|}

There is no authoritative IPA transcription of the digits. However, there are respellings into both English and French, which can be compared to clarify some of the ambiguities and inconsistencies. 
{| class="wikitable mw-collapsible"
|+ class="nowrap"| Digit code words with pronunciation
!scope="col" rowspan="2"| Symbol
!scope="col" rowspan="2"| Code word
!scope="col" colspan="9"| Respellings
|-
!scope="col"| {{abbr|ICAO|International Civil Aviation Organization}}<ref name="International-Civil-Aviation-Organization-2016" /><br />(English)
!scope="col"| [[Aeronautical Information Service|{{abbr|SIA|Service de l'Information Aéronautique}}]]<ref name="SIO">Service de l'Information Aéronautique, [https://www.sia.aviation-civile.gouv.fr/dossier/texteregle/RADIOTEL_V2.pdf ''Radiotéléphonie''] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141102163739/https://www.sia.aviation-civile.gouv.fr/dossier/texteregle/RADIOTEL_V2.pdf|date=2 November 2014}}, 2nd edition, 2006, p. 25.</ref><br />(French)
![[Combined Communications-Electronics Board|CCEB]] 2016<ref name="CCEB">{{Cite web |title=COMMUNICATIONS INSTRUCTIONS RADIOTELEPHONE PROCEDURES: ACP125 (G) |url=https://www.navy-radio.com/manuals/acp/acp125g.pdf |pages=3-2 &ndash; 3-7 |access-date=10 November 2022 |archive-date=9 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221209165420/https://www.navy-radio.com/manuals/acp/acp125g.pdf |url-status=live}} [https://orwg.cap.gov/media/cms/ACP125GRadioTelephoneProceduresNOV2_EFFE1A51BA783.pdf Alt URL] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221004162830/https://orwg.cap.gov/media/cms/ACP125GRadioTelephoneProceduresNOV2_EFFE1A51BA783.pdf |date=4 October 2022}}</ref>
! scope="col" | [[Federal Aviation Administration|{{abbr|FAA|Federal Aviation Administration}}]]<ref name="FAA-ATC">{{cite web |date=2 December 2021 |title=FAA Order JO 7110.65Z - Air Traffic Control |url=https://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/publications/atpubs/atc_html/ |access-date=20 January 2022 |at=§2-4-16, TBL 2-4-1 |archive-date=20 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220120163608/https://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/publications/atpubs/atc_html/ |url-status=live}}</ref>
! scope="col" | {{nowrap|[[International Telecommunication Union|{{abbr|ITU|International Telecommunication Union}}]][[ITU-R|-R]] 2007 <small>(WRC-07)</small><ref name="ITU">{{cite web |title=ITU Phonetic Alphabet and Figure Code |url=http://life.itu.ch/radioclub/rr/ap14.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107004153/http://life.itu.ch/radioclub/rr/ap14.pdf |archive-date=7 November 2017 |access-date=31 October 2017 |publisher=ITU-R}}</ref>}}<br>[[International Maritime Organization|{{abbr|IMO|International Maritime Organization}}]] <small>(English)</small><ref name="International-Maritime-Organisation">International Maritime Organisation (2005). ''International Code of Signals'', pp. 22–23. Fourth edition, London.</ref>
![[International Maritime Organization|{{abbr|IMO|International Maritime Organization}}]]<br /><small>(French)</small><ref name="International-Maritime-Organisation" />
! scope="col" | {{nowrap|US Navy}}<br />1957<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.virhistory.com/navy/manuals/rm32-10228B-1957.pdf|title=Radioman 3 & 2 Training Course Manual NAVPERS 10228-B|date=1957|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180227094307/http://www.virhistory.com/navy/manuals/rm32-10228B-1957.pdf|archive-date=27 February 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>
! scope="col" | {{nowrap|US Army}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.army.com/info/alphabet|title=Military phonetic alphabet by US Army|date=14 March 2014|website=US Army |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140802155839/http://army.com/info/alphabet|archive-date=2 August 2014|url-status=dead|access-date=11 August 2014}}</ref>
|-
!scope="row"| 1
| '''One''', '''unaone'''
| WUN
| OUANN
|wun
| wun
| OO-NAH-WUN
| OUNA-OUANN
| wun
| wun, {{nowrap|won <small>(USMC)</small>}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tecom.marines.mil/Portals/120/Docs/Student%20Materials/CREST%20Manual/RP0506.pdf|title=RP 0506 – Field Communication|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924113817/http://www.tecom.marines.mil/Portals/120/Docs/Student%20Materials/CREST%20Manual/RP0506.pdf|archive-date=24 September 2015|url-status=live|access-date=11 August 2014}}</ref>
|-
!scope="row"| 2
| '''Two''', '''bissotwo'''
| TOO
| TOU
|too
| too
| BEES-SOH-TOO
| BIS-SO-TOU
| too
| too
|-
!scope="row"| 3
| '''Three''', '''terrathree'''
| TREE
| TRI
|tree
| tree
| TAY-RAH-TREE
| TÉ-RA-TRI
| thuh-ree
| tree
|-
!scope="row"| 4
|'''Four''', '''kartefour'''
|FOW-er
|FO eur
|FOW-er
|fow-er
|KAR-TAY-FOWER
|{{nowrap|KAR-TÉ-FO-EUR}}
|fo-wer
|fow-er
|-
!scope="row"| 5
|'''Five''', '''pantafive'''
|FIFE
|FA ÏF {{sic}}<!--clearly a spacing error: no need for the diaeresis if there were two syllables-->
|fife
|fife
|PAN-TAH-FIVE
|PANN-TA-FAIF
|fi-yiv
|fife
|-
!scope="row"| 6
|'''Six''', '''soxisix'''
|SIX
|SIKS
|six
|six
|SOK-SEE-SIX
|SO-XI-SICKS
|six
|six
|-
!scope="row"| 7
|'''Seven''', '''setteseven'''
|SEV-en
|SÈV n
|SEV-en
|sev-en
|SAY-TAY-SEVEN
|SÉT-TÉ-SEV'N {{sic}}
|seven
|sev-en
|-
!scope="row"| 8
|'''Eight''', '''oktoeight'''
|AIT
|EÏT
|ait
|ait
|OK-TOH-AIT
|OK-TO-EIT
|ate
|ait
|-
!scope="row"| 9
| '''Nine''', '''novenine'''<ref group="Note">Written "nine" in the examples, but pronunciation given as "niner"</ref>
| NIN-er
| NAÏ neu
|NINE-er
| nin-er
| NO-VAY-NINER
| {{nowrap|NO-VÉ-NAI-NEU}}
| niner
| nin-er
|-
!scope="row"| 0
| '''Zero''', '''nadazero'''
| ZE-RO {{nowrap|(ZEE-ro)<ref group="Note" name="stress">The ICAO specifies that all syllables in these words are to be equally stressed (§5.2.1.4.3 note), but in practice they are not. The IMO specifies that ZEE-ro and TOU-sand are stressed on their first syllable.</ref>}}
| ZI RO
|ZE-ro
| ze-ro / zee-ro
| {{nowrap|NAH-DAH-ZAY-ROH}}<ref group="Note" name="stress2">With the code words for the digits and decimal, each syllable is stressed equally.</ref><ref group="Note" name="EN-component">Only the second (English) component of each code word is used by the Aeronautical Mobile Service.</ref>
| {{nowrap|NA-DA-ZE-RO}}<ref group="Note" name="stress2" /><ref group="Note" name="EN-component" />
| zero
| ze-ro
|-
!scope="row"| 00
| '''Hundred'''
| HUN-dred
| HUN-dred
| (zero zero)
| (hundred)
|
|
| hun-dred
|
|-
!scope="row"| 000
| '''Thousand'''
| {{nowrap|TOU-SAND}} {{nowrap|(TOU-sand)<ref group="Note" name="stress" />}}
| {{nowrap|TAOU ZEND}}
| {{nowrap|(zero zero zero)}}
| (thousand)
|
|
| {{nowrap|thow-zand}}
| tou-sand
|-
!scope="row"| ([[decimal point]])
| '''Decimal''', {{nowrap|(FAA) '''point'''}}
| {{nowrap|DAY-SEE-MAL<ref group="Note" name="stress" />}}
| DÈ SI MAL
| (decimal)
| (point)
| DAY-SEE-MAL
| DÉ-SI-MAL
|
|
|}

The [[Combined Communications-Electronics Board]] (CCEB) has code words for punctuation, including those in the table below.
{| class="wikitable"
|+ class="nowrap"| Punctuation code words (CCEB)
!scope="col"| Symbol
!scope="col"| Code word
|-
!scope="row"| .
| '''stop''' (when not a decimal point)
|-
!scope="row"| ,
| '''comma''' (when not a decimal comma)
|-
!scope="row"| -
| '''hyphen''', {{nowrap|(FAA) '''dash'''}}
|-
!scope="row"| /
| '''slant''' 
|-
!scope="row"| (
| '''brackets on'''
|-
!scope="row"| )
| '''brackets off'''
|}

Others are: "colon", "semi-colon", "exclamation mark", "question mark", "apostrophe", "quote", and "unquote".<ref name=CCEB/>

==History==
Prior to [[World War I]] and the development and widespread adoption of two-way radio that supported voice, [[Spelling alphabet#Telephone spelling alphabets|telephone spelling alphabets]] were developed to improve communication on low-quality and long-distance telephone circuits.

The first non-military internationally recognized spelling alphabet was adopted by the CCIR (predecessor of the [[International Telecommunication Union|ITU]]) during 1927. The experience gained with that alphabet resulted in several changes being made during 1932 by the ITU. The resulting alphabet was adopted by the International Commission for Air Navigation, the predecessor of the ICAO, and was used for civil aviation until [[World War II]].<ref name="Rose" /> It continued to be used by the IMO until 1965.

Throughout World War II, many nations used their own versions of a spelling alphabet. The US adopted the [[Allied Military Phonetic Spelling Alphabet#Joint Army/Navy radiotelephony spelling alphabet|Joint Army/Navy radiotelephony alphabet]] during 1941 to standardize systems among all branches of its armed forces. The US alphabet became known as ''Able Baker'' after the words for A and B. The [[Royal Air Force]] adopted one similar to the [[United States]] one during World War II as well. Other British forces adopted the [[Allied Military Phonetic Spelling Alphabet#RAF radiotelephony spelling alphabet|RAF radio alphabet]], which is similar to the phonetic alphabet used by the [[Royal Navy]] during World War I. At least two of the terms are sometimes still used by UK civilians to spell words over the phone, namely ''F for Freddie'' and ''S for Sugar''.

To enable the US, UK, and Australian armed forces to communicate during joint operations, in 1943 the CCB (Combined Communications Board; the combination of US and UK upper military commands) modified the US military's Joint Army/Navy alphabet for use by all three nations, with the result being called the US-UK spelling alphabet. It was defined in one or more of CCBP-1: ''Combined Amphibious Communications Instructions'', CCBP3: ''Combined Radiotelephone (R/T) Procedure'', and CCBP-7: ''Combined Communication Instructions.'' The CCB alphabet itself was based on the US Joint Army/Navy spelling alphabet. The CCBP (Combined Communications Board Publications) documents contain material formerly published in US Army Field Manuals in the 24-series. Several of these documents had revisions, and were renamed. For instance, CCBP3-2 was the second edition of CCBP3.

During World War II, the US military conducted significant research into spelling alphabets. Major F. D. Handy, directorate of Communications in the Army Air Force (and a member of the working committee of the Combined Communications Board), enlisted the help of Harvard University's Psycho-Acoustic Laboratory, asking them to determine the most successful word for each letter when using "military interphones in the intense noise encountered in modern warfare." He included lists from the US, Royal Air Force, Royal Navy, British Army, AT&T, Western Union, RCA Communications, and that of the International Telecommunications Convention. According to a report on the subject:

{{blockquote|The results showed that many of the words in the military lists had a low level of intelligibility, but that most of the deficiencies could be remedied by the judicious selection of words from the commercial codes and those tested by the laboratory. In a few instances where none of the 250 words could be regarded as especially satisfactory, it was believed possible to discover suitable replacements. Other words were tested and the most intelligible ones were compared with the more desirable lists. A final NDRC list was assembled and recommended to the CCB.<ref name="The-Evolution-and-Rationale-of-the-ICAO" />}}

After World War II, with many aircraft and ground personnel from the allied armed forces, "Able Baker" was officially adopted for use in international aviation. During the 1946 Second Session of the ICAO Communications Division, the organization adopted the so-called "Able Baker" alphabet<ref name="icaohistory">{{Cite web|url=https://www.icao.int/secretariat/PostalHistory/annex_10_aeronautical_telecommunications.htm|title=The Postal History of ICAO: Annex 10 - Aeronautical Telecommunications|publisher=ICAO|access-date=23 January 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190212211147/https://www.icao.int/secretariat/PostalHistory/annex_10_aeronautical_telecommunications.htm|archive-date=12 February 2019|url-status=dead}}</ref> that was the 1943 US–UK spelling alphabet. However, many sounds were unique to English, so an alternative "Ana Brazil" alphabet was used in Latin America. In spite of this, [[International Air Transport Association|International Air Transport Association (IATA)]], recognizing the need for a single universal alphabet, presented a draft alphabet to the ICAO during 1947 that had sounds common to English, French, Spanish and Portuguese.

From 1948 to 1949, [[Jean-Paul Vinay]], a professor of linguistics at the [[Université de Montréal]], worked closely with the ICAO to research and develop a new spelling alphabet.<ref name="The-Week-2016">{{Cite web|url=http://www.theweek.co.uk/70110/alpha-bravo-charlie-how-was-natos-phonetic-alphabet-chosen|title=Alpha, Bravo, Charlie: how was Nato's phonetic alphabet chosen?|website=[[The Week]] |date=March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171030222144/http://www.theweek.co.uk/70110/alpha-bravo-charlie-how-was-natos-phonetic-alphabet-chosen|archive-date=30 October 2017|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="icaohistory"/> The directions of ICAO were that "To be considered, a word must:
# Be a live word in each of the three working languages.
# Be easily pronounced and recognized by airmen of all languages.
# Have good radio transmission and readability characteristics.
# Have a similar spelling in at least English, French, and Spanish, and the initial letter must be the letter the word identifies.
# Be free from any association with objectionable meanings."<ref name="The-Evolution-and-Rationale-of-the-ICAO" />
After further study and modification by each approving body, the revised alphabet was adopted on {{nowrap|1 November 1951}}, to become effective on 1 April 1952 for civil aviation (but it may not have been adopted by any military).<ref name="Rose" />

Problems were soon found with this list. Some users believed that they were so severe that they reverted to the old "Able Baker" alphabet. Confusion among words like ''Delta'' and ''Extra'', and between ''Nectar'' and ''Victor'', or the poor intelligibility of other words during poor receiving conditions were the main problems. Later in 1952, ICAO decided to revisit the alphabet and their research. To identify the deficiencies of the new alphabet, testing was conducted among speakers from 31 nations, principally by the governments of the United Kingdom and the United States. In the United States, the research was conducted by the USAF-directed Operational Applications Laboratory (AFCRC, ARDC), to monitor a project with the Research Foundation of [[Ohio State University]]. Among the more interesting of the research findings was that "higher noise levels do not create confusion, but do intensify those confusions already inherent between the words in question".<ref name="The-Evolution-and-Rationale-of-the-ICAO" />

By early 1956 the ICAO was nearly complete with this research, and published the new official phonetic alphabet in order to account for discrepancies that might arise in communications as a result of multiple alphabet naming systems coexisting in different places and organizations. NATO was in the process of adopting the ICAO spelling alphabet, and apparently felt enough urgency that it adopted the proposed new alphabet with changes based on NATO's own research, to become effective on 1 January 1956,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://archives.nato.int/uploads/r/null/1/2/126367/SGM-0217-55_ENG_PDP.pdf|title=North Atlantic Military Committee SGM-217-55 memorandum|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107015824/https://archives.nato.int/uploads/r/null/1/2/126367/SGM-0217-55_ENG_PDP.pdf|archive-date=7 November 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> but quickly issued a new directive on 1 March 1956<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://archives.nato.int/uploads/r/null/1/2/127604/SGM-0156-56_ENG_PDP.pdf|title=North Atlantic Military Committee SGM-156-56 memorandum|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107024838/https://archives.nato.int/uploads/r/null/1/2/127604/SGM-0156-56_ENG_PDP.pdf|archive-date=7 November 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> adopting the now official ICAO spelling alphabet, which had changed by one word (November) from NATO's earlier request to ICAO to modify a few words based on US Air Force research.

After all of the above study, only the five words representing the letters C, M, N, U, and X were replaced. The ICAO sent a recording of the new ''Radiotelephony Spelling Alphabet'' to all member states in November 1955.<ref name="icaohistory"/> The final version given in the [[#Alphabet and pronunciation|table above]] was implemented by the ICAO on {{nowrap|1 March 1956}},<ref name="Rose" /> and the ITU adopted it no later than 1959 when they mandated its usage via their official publication, ''Radio Regulations''.{{sfn|''Radio Regulations''|1959|pp=430–431}} Because the ITU governs all international radio communications, it was also adopted by most radio operators, whether military, civilian, or [[Amateur radio|amateur]]. It was finally adopted by the IMO in 1965.

During 1947 the ITU adopted the compound [[Latinisation of names|Latinate]] prefix-number words (''Nadazero'', ''Unaone'', etc.), later adopted by the IMO during 1965.{{citation needed|date=November 2017}}
* Nadazero – from [[Spanish language|Spanish]] or [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]] nada + NATO/ICAO zero  
* Unaone – generic [[Romance languages|Romance]] una, from [[Latin]] ūna + NATO/ICAO one
* Bissotwo – from Latin bis + NATO/ICAO two. (1959 ITU proposals bis and too)<ref>{{cite web |title=Radio Regulations and Additional Radio Regulations (Geneva, 1959). Recommendation No. 30 - Relating to the Phonetic Figure Table |pages=605–607 |url=http://handle.itu.int/11.1004/020.1000/4.85 |website=[[International Telecommunication Union]] (ITU) |access-date=26 June 2021 |archive-date=1 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230701182620/https://www.itu.int/en/history/Pages/RadioConferences.aspx?conf=4.85 |url-status=live}}</ref>
* Terrathree – from [[Italian language|Italian]] terzo + NATO/ICAO three ("tree") (1959 ITU proposals ter and tree)
* Kartefour – from [[French language|French]] quatre (Latin quartus) + NATO/ICAO four ("fow-er") (1959 ITU proposals quarto and fow-er)
* Pantafive – from Greek penta- + NATO/ICAO five ("fife") (from 1959 ITU proposals penta and fife)
* Soxisix – from French soix + NATO/ICAO six (1959 ITU proposals were saxo and six)
* Setteseven – from Italian sette + NATO/ICAO seven (1959 ITU proposals sette and sev-en)
* Oktoeight – generic Romance octo-, from Latin octō + NATO/ICAO eight (1959 ITU proposals octo and ait)
* Novenine – from Italian nove + NATO/ICAO nine ("niner") (1959 ITU proposals were nona and niner)

In the official version of the alphabet,<ref name="alpharadio">{{cite web | url = https://www.icao.int/Pages/AlphabetRadiotelephony.aspx | title = Alphabet – Radiotelephony | website= International Civil Aviation Organization | access-date = 2 July 2018 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180620153456/https://www.icao.int/Pages/AlphabetRadiotelephony.aspx | archive-date = 20 June 2018 | url-status=live}}</ref> two spellings deviate from the English norm: ''Alfa'' and ''Juliett''. ''Alfa'' is spelled with an ''f'' as it is in most European languages because the spelling ''Alpha'' may not be pronounced properly by native speakers of some languages – who may not know that ''ph'' should be pronounced as ''f''. The spelling ''Juliett'' is used rather than ''Juliet'' for the benefit of French speakers, because they may otherwise treat a single final ''t'' as silent. For similar reasons, ''Charlie'' and ''Uniform'' have alternative pronunciations where the ''ch'' is pronounced "sh" and the ''u'' is pronounced "oo". Early on, the NATO alliance changed ''X-ray'' to ''Xray'' in its version of the alphabet to ensure that it would be pronounced as one word rather than as two,<ref>Albert Pelsser, [https://applications.icao.int/postalhistory/l_alfabeto_fonetico_internazionale.pdf La storia postale dell' ICAO] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220721202014/https://applications.icao.int/postalhistory/l_alfabeto_fonetico_internazionale.pdf |date=21 July 2022}}, translated by Nico Michelini</ref> while the global organization ICAO keeps the spelling ''X-ray''.

The alphabet is defined by various international conventions on radio, including:
* Universal Electrical Communications Union (UECU), Washington, D.C., December 1920<ref name="Draft-of-Convention-and-Regulations-1921">{{Cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OVgNAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA101|title=Draft of Convention and Regulations, Washington, D.C., December, 1920|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190331002924/https://books.google.com/books?id=OVgNAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA101|archive-date=31 March 2019|url-status=live|year=1921}}</ref>
* International Radiotelegraph Convention, Washington, 1927 (which created the CCIR)<ref name="itu1927">{{Cite web|url=http://handle.itu.int/11.1004/020.1000/1.4|title=General Regulations and Additional Regulations (Radiotelegraph)|publisher=International Radiotelegraph Convention|location=Washington|date=1927|access-date=30 January 2019|archive-date=1 July 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230701182620/https://www.itu.int/en/history/Pages/RadioRegulationsA.aspx?reg=1.4|url-status=live}}</ref>
* General Radiocommunication and Additional Regulations (Madrid, 1932)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://handle.itu.int/11.1004/020.1000/1.5.48.en.100|title=General Radiocommunication and Additional Regulations |location=Madrid |date=1932|publisher=International Telecommunication Union|access-date=30 January 2019}}</ref>
* Instructions for the International Telephone Service, 1932 (ITU-T E.141; withdrawn in 1993)
* General Radiocommunication Regulations and Additional Radiocommunication Regulations (Cairo, 1938)<ref name="itu1938">{{cite web|url=http://handle.itu.int/11.1004/020.1000/1.6.48.en.100|title=General Radiocommunication Regulations and Additional Radiocommunication Regulations |location=Cairo |publisher=International Telecommunication Union|date=1938|access-date=30 January 2019}}</ref>
* Radio Regulations and Additional Radio Regulations (Atlantic City, 1947),<ref name="itu1947">{{cite book|url=http://handle.itu.int/11.1004/020.1000/4.62.43.en.100|title=Radio Regulations and Additional Radio Regulations |location=Atlantic City|date= 1947|publisher=International Telecommunication Union |access-date=28 January 2019|ref ={{harvid|ITU|1947}}}}</ref> where "it was decided that the International Civil Aviation Organization and other international aeronautical organizations would assume the responsibility for procedures and regulations related to aeronautical communication. However, ITU would continue to maintain general procedures regarding distress signals."
* 1959 Administrative Radio Conference (Geneva, 1959)<ref name="International-Telecommunication-Union-1959"/>
* [[ITU-R|International Telecommunication Union, Radio]]
* Final Acts of WARC-79 (Geneva, 1979).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.itu.int/dms_pub/itu-s/oth/02/01/S02010000394002PDFE.PDF|title=Final Acts of WARC-79 (Geneva, 1979)|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141108170745/http://www.itu.int/dms_pub/itu-s/oth/02/01/S02010000394002PDFE.PDF |archive-date=8 November 2014|publisher=International Telecommunication Union|location=Geneva|date=1980|access-date=31 January 2019}}</ref> Here the alphabet was formally named "Phonetic Alphabet and Figure Code".
* International Code of Signals for Visual, Sound, and Radio Communications, United States Edition, 1969 (revised 2003)<ref>{{citation|title=International Code of Signals for Visual, Sound, and Radio Communications, United States Edition, 1969 (Revised 2003)|url=http://www.seasources.net/PDF/PUB102.pdf|year=1969|ref=CITEREFICS1969|access-date=31 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150320145733/http://www.seasources.net/PDF/PUB102.pdf|archive-date=20 March 2015|url-status=live}} <!--  Another possible link for pub102:
  {{cite web
 |url=http://www.dr-belair.com/dic/Defence/Sea-Forces/Sea-flags/ICOSbook.pdf
 |title=Archived copy
 |access-date=26 April 2015
|url-status=dead
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121204210900/http://www.dr-belair.com/dic/Defence/Sea-Forces/Sea-flags/ICOSbook.pdf
 |archive-date=4 December 2012
}}
  --></ref>

===Tables===
{| class="wikitable"
|+Timeline in development of the ICAO/ITU-R radiotelephony spelling alphabet
!scope="col"| Letter
!scope="col"| 1920 UECU<ref name="Draft-of-Convention-and-Regulations-1921" />
!scope="col"| 1927 (Washington, D.C.) International Radiotelegraph Convention (CCIR)<ref name="itu1927"/>
!scope="col"| 1932 General Radiocommunication and Additional Regulations (CCIR/ICAN)<ref name="Don">{{Cite web|url=https://www.faa.gov/news/safety_briefing/2012/media/NovDec2012Translation.pdf|title=(Don't Get) Lost in Translation|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170216163555/https://www.faa.gov/news/safety_briefing/2012/media/NovDec2012Translation.pdf|archive-date=16 February 2017|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Alcorn">{{Cite web|url=http://www.qsl.net/wd8das/RadioCodes.pdf|title=Radiotelegraph and Radiotelephone Codes, Prowords And Abbreviations|last=Alcorn|first=John|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160603053050/http://www.qsl.net/wd8das/RadioCodes.pdf|archive-date=3 June 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref>
!scope="col"| 1938 (Cairo) International Radiocommunication Conference code words<ref name="itu1938"/>
!scope="col"| 1947 (Atlantic City) International Radio Conference<ref>{{cite web |title=International Radio Conference (Atlantic City, 1947) |url=http://handle.itu.int/11.1004/020.1000/4.62 |publisher=International Telecommunication Union |access-date=28 January 2019 |archive-date=1 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230701182658/https://www.itu.int/en/history/Pages/RadioConferences.aspx?conf=4.62 |url-status=live}}</ref>
!scope="col"| 1947 ICAO (from 1943 US&ndash;UK)<ref name="Myers-1945">{{Cite book|title=CCBP 3-2: Combined Radiotelephone (R/T) Procedure|last1=Myers|first1=G. B.|last2=Charles|first2=B. P.|date=14 February 1945|publisher=Combined Communications Board|location=Washington, D.C.|pages=1–2}}</ref>
<ref name="FM-24">{{Cite web|url=http://www.n7cfo.com/tgph/Dwnlds/sigcorps/FM24-12.pdf|title=FM 24-12,:Army Extract of Combined Operating Signals (CCBP 2-2)|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201041642/http://www.n7cfo.com/tgph/Dwnlds/sigcorps/FM24-12.pdf|archive-date=1 December 2017|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Alcorn"/>
!scope="col"| 1947 ICAO alphabet (from ARRL{{citation needed|date=March 2021}}<!--the ref only says this happened, but doesn't give the code words-->)<ref name="Item-48-in-the-Friedman-Collection">{{Cite web|url=http://marshallfoundation.org/library/wp-content/uploads/sites/16/2014/09/Friedman_Collection_Guide_September_2014.pdf|title=Item 48 in the Friedman Collection: Letter from Everett Conder to William F. Friedman, February 11, 1952.|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160722003444/http://marshallfoundation.org/library/wp-content/uploads/sites/16/2014/09/Friedman_Collection_Guide_September_2014.pdf|archive-date=22 July 2016|url-status=live}}</ref>
!scope="col"| 1947 ICAO Latin America/Caribbean<ref name="The-Evolution-and-Rationale-of-the-ICAO" />
!scope="col"| 1947 IATA proposal to ICAO<ref name="The-Evolution-and-Rationale-of-the-ICAO" />
!scope="col"| 1949 ICAO code words<ref name="The-Evolution-and-Rationale-of-the-ICAO">{{Cite web|url=https://www.governmentattic.org/4docs/ICAO-WordSpellingAlphabet_1959.pdf|title=The Evolution and Rationale of the ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization) Word-Spelling Alphabet, July 1959|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160310112903/http://www.governmentattic.org/4docs/ICAO-WordSpellingAlphabet_1959.pdf|archive-date=10 March 2016|url-status=live|access-date=1 November 2017}}</ref>
!scope="col"| 1951 ICAO code words<ref name="The-Week-2016" />
!scope="col"| 1956 ICAO final code words<ref name="International-Civil-Aviation-Organization-2016" />
!scope="col"| 1959 (Geneva) ITU Administrative Radio Conference code words<ref name="International-Telecommunication-Union-1959">{{Cite book |url=http://search.itu.int/history/HistoryDigitalCollectionDocLibrary/4.85.43.en.100.pdf |title=Radio Regulations; Additional Radio Regulations; Additional Protocol; Resolutions and Recommendations |publisher=International Telecommunication Union |pages=430, 607 |date=1959 |location=Geneva |access-date=23 January 2019 |ref={{harvid|Radio Regulations|1959}} |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107031456/http://search.itu.int/history/HistoryDigitalCollectionDocLibrary/4.85.43.en.100.pdf |archive-date=7 November 2017 |url-status=live}}</ref>
!scope="col"| 1959 ITU pronunciations<ref name="International-Telecommunication-Union-1959" />
!scope="col"| 2008–present ICAO code words<ref name="International-Civil-Aviation-Organization-2016" />
!2005–present IMO pronunciations (English)<ref name="International-Maritime-Organisation" />
!2005–present IMO pronunciations (French)<ref name="International-Maritime-Organisation" />
! scope="col" | 2008–present ICAO pronunciations<ref name="International-Civil-Aviation-Organization-2016" />
!scope="col"| 2018–present NATO pronunciations<ref name="OTAN" />
|-
!scope="row"| A
|Argentine
|Amsterdam
|Amsterdam
|Amsterdam
|Amsterdam
|ABLE
|ADAM
|ANA
|ALPHA
|'''Alfa'''
|'''Alfa'''
|'''Alfa'''
|Alfa
|<u>AL</u> FAH
|Alfa
|'''AL''' FAH
|'''AL''' FAH
|<u>AL</u> FAH
| al-fah
|-
!scope="row"| B
|Brussels
|Baltimore
|Baltimore
|Baltimore
|Baltimore
|BAKER
|BAKER
|BRAZIL
|BETA
|Beta
|'''Bravo'''
|'''Bravo'''
|Bravo
|<u>BRAH</u> VOH
|Bravo
|'''BRAH''' VO
|'''BRA''' VO
|<u>BRAH</u> VOH
| brah-voh
|-
!scope="row"| C
|Canada
|Canada
|Casablanca
|Casablanca
|Casablanca
|'''CHARLIE'''
|'''CHARLIE'''
|COCO
|'''CHARLIE'''
|Coca
|Coca
|'''Charlie'''
|Charlie
|<u>CHAR</u> LEE ''or'' <u>SHAR</u> LEE
|Charlie
|'''CHAR''' LEE (''or'' '''SHAR''' LEE)
|'''TCHAH''' LI (''ou'' '''CHAR''' LI)
|<u>CHAR</u> LEE ''or'' <u>SHAR</u> LEE
| char-lee
|-
!scope="row"| D
|Damascus
|Denmark
|Danemark
|Danemark
|Danemark
|DOG
|DAVID
|DADO
|'''DELTA'''
|'''Delta'''
|'''Delta'''
|'''Delta'''
|Delta
|<u>DELL</u> TAH
|Delta
|'''DELL''' TAH
|'''DEL''' TAH
|<u>DELL</u> TAH
| dell-tah
|-
!scope="row"| E
|Ecuador
|Eddystone
|Edison
|Edison
|Edison
|EASY
|EDWARD
|ELSA
|EDWARD
|'''Echo'''
|'''Echo'''
|'''Echo'''
|Echo
|<u>ECK</u> OH
|Echo
|'''ECK''' O
|'''EK''' O
|<u>ECK</u> OH
| eck-oh
|-
!scope="row"| F
|France
|Francisco
|Florida
|Florida
|Florida
|'''''FOX'''''
|FREDDIE
|FIESTA
|'''''FOX'''''
|'''Foxtrot'''
|'''Foxtrot'''
|'''Foxtrot'''
|Foxtrot
|<u>FOKS</u> TROT
|Foxtrot
|'''FOKS''' TROT
|'''FOX''' TROTT
|<u>FOKS</u> TROT
| foks-trot
|-
!scope="row"| G
|Greece
|Gibraltar
|Gallipoli
|Gallipoli
|Gallipoli
|GEORGE
|GEORGE
|GATO
|GRAMMA
|'''Golf'''
|Gold
|'''Golf'''
|Golf
|GOLF
|Golf
|GOLF
|GOLF
|GOLF
| golf
|-
!scope="row"| H
|Hanover
|Hanover
|Havana
|Havana
|Havana
|HOW
|HARRY
|HOMBRE
|HAVANA
|'''Hotel'''
|'''Hotel'''
|'''Hotel'''
|Hotel
|HOH <u>TELL</u>
|Hotel
|HOH '''TELL'''
|HO '''TÈLL'''
|HO <u>TELL</u>
| hoh-tel
|-
!scope="row"| I
|Italy
|Italy
|Italia
|Italia
|Italia
|ITEM
|IDA
|'''INDIA'''
|ITALY
|'''India'''
|'''India'''
|'''India'''
|India
|<u>IN</u> DEE AH
|India
|'''IN''' DEE AH
|'''IN''' DI AH
|<u>IN</u> DEE AH
| in-dee-ah
|-
!scope="row"| J
|Japan
|Jerusalem
|Jérusalem
|Jérusalem
|Jerusalem
|JIG
|JOHN
|JULIO
|JUPITER
|'''''Julietta'''''
|'''Juliett'''
|'''Juliett'''
|Juliett
|<u>JEW</u> LEE <u>ETT</u>
|Juliett
|'''JEW''' LEE '''ETT'''
|'''DJOU''' LI '''ÈTT'''
|<u>JEW</u> LEE <u>ETT</u>
| jew-lee-ett
|-
!scope="row"| K
|Khartoum
|Kimberley
|'''''Kilogramme'''''
|'''''Kilogramme'''''
|'''''Kilogramme'''''
|KING
|KING
|'''KILO'''
|'''KILO'''
|'''Kilo'''
|'''Kilo'''
|'''Kilo'''
|Kilo
|<u>KEY</u> LOH
|Kilo
|'''KEY''' LOH
|'''KI''' LO
|<u>KEY</u> LOH
| key-loh
|-
!scope="row"| L
|'''Lima'''
|Liverpool
|Liverpool
|Liverpool
|Liverpool
|LOVE
|LEWIS
|LUIS
|LITER
|'''Lima'''
|'''Lima'''
|'''Lima'''
|Lima
|<u>LEE</u> MAH
|Lima
|'''LEE''' MAH
|'''LI''' MAH
|<u>LEE</u> MAH
| lee-mah
|-
!scope="row"| M
|Madrid
|Madagascar
|Madagascar
|Madagascar
|Madagascar
|'''MIKE'''
|MARY
|MAMA
|MAESTRO
|Metro
|Metro
|'''Mike'''
|Mike
|MIKE
|Mike
|MIKE
|'''MA''' ÏK
|MIKE
| mike
|-
!scope="row"| N
|Nancy
|Neufchatel
|New York
|New-York
|New York
|NAN
|NANCY
|NORMA
|NORMA
|Nectar
|Nectar
|'''November'''
|November
|NO <u>VEM</u> BER
|November
|NO '''VEM''' BER
|NO '''VÈMM''' BER
|NO <u>VEM</u> BER
| no-vem-ber
|-
!scope="row"| O
|Ostend
|Ontario
|Oslo
|Oslo
|Oslo
|OBOE
|OTTO
|OPERA
|OPERA
|'''Oscar'''
|'''Oscar'''
|'''Oscar'''
|Oscar
|<u>OSS</u> CAH
|Oscar
|'''OSS''' CAH
|'''OSS''' KAR
|<u>OSS</u> CAH
| oss-cah
|-
!scope="row"| P
|Paris
|Portugal
|Paris
|Paris
|Paris
|PETER
|PETER
|PERU
|PERU
|Polka
|'''Papa'''
|'''Papa'''
|Papa
|PAH <u>PAH</u>
|Papa
|PAH '''PAH'''
|PAH '''PAH'''
|PAH <u>PAH</u>
| pah-pah
|-
!scope="row"| Q
|'''Quebec'''
|'''Quebec'''
|'''Québec'''
|'''Québec'''
|'''Quebec'''
|QUEEN
|QUEEN
|'''QUEBEC'''
|'''QUEBEC'''
|'''Quebec'''
|'''Quebec'''
|'''Quebec'''
|Quebec
|KEH <u>BECK</u>
|Quebec
|KEH '''BECK'''
|KÉ '''BÈK'''
|KEH <u>BECK</u>
| keh-beck
|-
!scope="row"| R
|Rome
|Rivoli
|Roma
|Roma
|Roma
|ROGER
|ROBERT
|ROSA
|ROGER
|'''Romeo'''
|'''Romeo'''
|'''Romeo'''
|Romeo
|<u>ROW</u> ME OH
|Romeo
|'''ROW''' ME OH
|'''RO''' MI O
|<u>ROW</u> ME OH
| row-me-oh
|-
!scope="row"| S
|Sardinia
|Santiago
|Santiago
|Santiago
|Santiago
|SUGAR
|SUSAN
|SARA
|SANTA
|'''Sierra'''
|'''Sierra'''
|'''Sierra'''
|Sierra
|SEE <u>AIR</u> RAH
|Sierra
|SEE '''AIR''' RAH
|SI '''ÈR''' RAH
|SEE <u>AIR</u> RAH
| see-air-rah
|-
!scope="row"| T
|Tokio
|Tokio
|Tripoli
|Tripoli
|Tripoli
|TARE
|THOMAS
|TOMAS
|THOMAS
|'''Tango'''
|'''Tango'''
|'''Tango'''
|Tango
|<u>TANG</u> GO
|Tango
|'''TANG''' GO
|'''TANG''' GO
|<u>TANG</u> GO
| tang-go
|-
!scope="row"| U
|Uruguay
|Uruguay
|Upsala
|Upsala
|Upsala
|UNCLE
|UNION
|URUGUAY
|URSULA
|Union
|Union
|'''Uniform'''
|Uniform
|{{nowrap|<u>YOU</u> NEE FORM}} ''or'' <br /> <u>OO</u> NEE FORM
|Uniform
|'''YOU''' NEE FORM (''or'' '''OO''' NEE FORM)
|'''YOU''' NI FORM (''ou'' '''OU''' NI FORM)
|<u>YOU</u> NEE FORM ''or'' <u>OO</u> NEE FORM
| you-nee-form
|-
!scope="row"| V
|'''''Victoria'''''
|'''''Victoria'''''
|Valencia
|Valencia
|Valencia
|'''VICTOR'''
|'''VICTOR'''
|'''VICTOR'''
|'''VICTOR'''
|'''Victor'''
|'''Victor'''
|'''Victor'''
|Victor
|<u>VIK</u> TAH
|Victor
|'''VIK''' TAH
|'''VIK''' TAR
|<u>VIK</u> TAH
| vic-tah
|-
!scope="row"| W
|Washington
|Washington
|Washington
|Washington
|Washington
|WILLIAM
|WILLIAM
|'''WHISKEY'''
|'''WHISKEY'''
|'''Whiskey'''
|'''Whiskey'''
|'''Whiskey'''
|Whiskey
|<u>WISS</u> KEY
|Whiskey
|'''WISS''' KEY
|'''OUISS''' KI
|<u>WISS</u> KEY
| wiss-key
|-
!scope="row"| X
|Xaintrie
|Xantippe
|Xanthippe
|Xanthippe
|Xanthippe
|'''XRAY'''
|'''X-RAY'''
|EQUIS
|'''X-RAY'''
|eXtra
|eXtra
|'''X-ray'''
|X-ray
|<u>ECKS</u> <u>RAY</u>
|X-ray
|'''ECKS''' RAY
|'''ÈKSS RÉ'''
|<u>ECKS</u> RAY
| ecks-ray
|-
!scope="row"| Y
|Yokohama
|Yokohama
|Yokohama
|Yokohama
|Yokohama
|YOKE
|YOUNG
|YOLANDA
|YORK
|'''Yankey'''
|'''Yankee'''
|'''Yankee'''
|Yankee
|<u>YANG</u> KEY
|Yankee
|'''YANG''' KEY
|'''YANG''' KI
|<u>YANG</u> KEY
| yang-key
|-
!scope="row"| Z
|Zanzibar
|'''''Zululand'''''
|Zürich
|Zurich
|Zurich
|ZEBRA
|ZEBRA
|ZETA
|?
|Zebra
|'''Zulu'''
|'''Zulu'''
|Zulu
|<u>ZOO</u> LOO
|Zulu
|'''ZOO''' LOO
|'''ZOU''' LOU
|<u>ZOO</u> LOO
| zoo-loo
|-
!scope="row"| 0
|
|
|
|Jérusalem<ref name=":0" group="Note" />
|Jerusalem<ref group="Note" name=":0">Each sequence of figures is both preceded and followed by "as a number" (or, for punctuation only) "as a mark", spoken twice.</ref>
|Zero
|
|
|
|
|
|
|Juliett<ref name=":0" group="Note" />
|(alt. proposals: ZE-RO, ZERO)
|zero
|''(see table of digits)''
|''(see table of digits)''
|ZE-RO
| zee-ro
|-
!scope="row"| 1
|
|
|
|Amsterdam<ref name=":0" group="Note" />
|Amsterdam<ref group="Note" name=":0" />
|Wun
|
|
|
|
|
|
|Alfa<ref name=":0" group="Note" />
|(alt. proposals: WUN, WUN)
|one
|
|
|WUN
| wun
|-
!scope="row"| 2
|
|
|
|Baltimore<ref name=":0" group="Note" />
|Baltimore<ref group="Note" name=":0" />
|Too
|
|
|
|
|
|
|Bravo<ref name=":0" group="Note" />
|(alt. proposals: TOO, BIS)
|two
|
|
|TOO
| too
|-
!scope="row"| 3
|
|
|
|Casablanca<ref name=":0" group="Note" />
|Casablanca<ref group="Note" name=":0" />
|Thuh-ree
|
|
|
|
|
|
|Charlie<ref name=":0" group="Note" />
|(alt. proposals: TREE, TER)
|three
|
|
|TREE
|tree
|-
!scope="row"| 4
|
|
|
|Danemark<ref name=":0" group="Note" />
|Danemark<ref group="Note" name=":0" />
|Fo-wer
|
|
|
|
|
|
|Delta<ref name=":0" group="Note" />
|(alt. proposals: FOW-ER, QUARTO)
|four
|
|
|FOW-er
|fow-er
|-
!scope="row"| 5
|
|
|
|Edison<ref name=":0" group="Note" />
|Edison<ref group="Note" name=":0" />
|Fi-yiv
|
|
|
|
|
|
|Echo<ref name=":0" group="Note" />
|(alt. proposals: FIFE, PENTA)
|five
|
|
|FIFE
|fife
|-
!scope="row"| 6
|
|
|
|Florida<ref name=":0" group="Note" />
|Florida<ref group="Note" name=":0" />
|Six
|
|
|
|
|
|
|Foxtrot<ref name=":0" group="Note" />
|(alt. proposals: SIX, SAXO)
|six
|
|
|SIX
|six
|-
!scope="row"| 7
|
|
|
|Gallipoli<ref name=":0" group="Note" />
|Gallipoli<ref group="Note" name=":0" />
|Seven
|
|
|
|
|
|
|Golf<ref name=":0" group="Note" />
|(alt. proposals: SEV-EN, SETTE)
|seven
|
|
|SEV-en
|sev-en
|-
!scope="row"| 8
|
|
|
|Havana<ref name=":0" group="Note" />
|Havana<ref group="Note" name=":0" />
|Ate
|
|
|
|
|
|
|Hotel<ref name=":0" group="Note" />
|(alt. proposals: AIT, OCTO)
|eight
|
|
|AIT
|ait
|-
!scope="row"| 9
|
|
|
|Italia<ref name=":0" group="Note" />
|Italia<ref group="Note" name=":0" />
|Niner
|
|
|
|
|
|
|India<ref name=":0" group="Note" />
|(alt. proposals: NIN-ER, NONA)
|nine
|
|
|NIN-er
|nin-er
|-
!scope="row"| . (decimal point)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|(proposals: DAY-SEE-MAL, DECIMAL)
|decimal
|DAY-SEE-MAL
|DÉ-SI-MAL
|DAY-SEE-MAL
|-
!scope="row"| Hundred
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|hundred
|
|
|HUN-dred
|-
!scope="row"| Thousand
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|(proposals: TOUS-AND, &ndash;)
|thousand
|
|
|TOU-SAND
|-
!scope="row"| ,
|
|
|
|Kilogramme<ref name=":0" group="Note" />
|Kilogramme<ref name=":0" group="Note" />
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|Kilo<ref name=":0" group="Note" />
|
|
|
|
|
|-
!scope="row"| / (fraction bar)
|
|
|
|Liverpool<ref name=":0" group="Note" />
|Liverpool<ref name=":0" group="Note" />
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|Lima<ref name=":0" group="Note" />
|
|
|
|
|
|-
!scope="row"| (break signal)
|
|
|
|Madagascar<ref name=":0" group="Note" />
|Madagascar<ref name=":0" group="Note" />
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|Mike<ref name=":0" group="Note" />
|
|
|
|
|
|-
!scope="row"| . (punctuation)
|
|
|
|New-York<ref name=":0" group="Note" />
|New York<ref name=":0" group="Note" />
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|November<ref name=":0" group="Note" />
|
|
|STOP
|STOP
|
|}
For the 1938 and 1947 phonetics, each transmission of figures is preceded and followed by the words "as a number" spoken twice.

The ITU adopted the [[International Maritime Organization|IMO]] phonetic spelling alphabet in 1959,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://handle.itu.int/11.1004/020.1000/4.94.51.en.103 |title=Documents of the World Administrative Radio Conference to deal with matters relating to the maritime mobile service (WARC Mar)|location=Geneva|date=1967|access-date=30 January 2019|publisher=International Telecommunication Union}}</ref> and in 1969 specified that it be "for application in the maritime mobile service only".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://handle.itu.int/11.1004/020.1000/2.118.62.en.100 |title=Report on the Activities of The International Telecommunication Union in 1967|access-date=30 January 2019|date=1968|location=Geneva|publisher=International Telecommunication Union}}</ref>

Pronunciation was not defined prior to 1959. For the post-1959 phonetics, the underlined syllable of each letter word should be emphasized, and each syllable of the code words for the post-1969 figures should be equally emphasized.

=== International aviation ===

The Radiotelephony Spelling Alphabet is used by the [[International Civil Aviation Organization]] for international aircraft communications.<ref name="alpharadio"/><ref name="International-Civil-Aviation-Organization-2016"/><!--
See also [http://www.skiba.com.au/data/resources/av_art/alpha.pdf International Phonetic Alphabet], [http://blog.privatefly.com/history-of-the-nato-phonetic-alphabet HISTORY OF THE NATO PHONETIC ALPHABET] and [http://aviationknowledge.wikidot.com/aviation:nato-phonetic-alphabet What is the phonetic alphabet?] -->

{| class="wikitable"
|+Timeline in development of the ICAO/ITU-R radiotelephony spelling alphabet
!scope="col"| Letter
!scope="col" width=100px| 1932 General Radiocommunication and Additional Regulations (CCIR/ICAN)<ref name="Don" /><ref name="Alcorn" />
!scope="col" width=100px| 1946 ICAO Second Session of the Communications Division (same as [[Allied Military Phonetic Spelling Alphabet|Joint Army/Navy]])<ref name="The-Evolution-and-Rationale-of-the-ICAO" />
!scope="col" width=100px| 1947 ICAO (same as 1943 US-UK)<ref name="Myers-1945" />
<ref name="FM-24" /><ref name="Alcorn" />
!scope="col" width=100px| 1947 ICAO alphabet (adopted exactly from ARRL<ref name="Item-48-in-the-Friedman-Collection" />
!scope="col" width=100px| 1947 ICAO Latin America / Caribbean<ref name="The-Evolution-and-Rationale-of-the-ICAO" />
!scope="col" width=100px| 1949 ICAO code words<ref name="The-Evolution-and-Rationale-of-the-ICAO" />
!scope="col" width=100px| 1951 ICAO code words<ref name="The-Week-2016" />
!scope="col" width=100px| 1956–present ICAO code words<ref name="International-Civil-Aviation-Organization-2016" />
|-
!scope="row"| A
|Amsterdam
|Able
|ABLE
|ADAM
|ANA
|Alfa
|Alfa
|Alfa
|-
!scope="row"| B
|Baltimore
|Baker
|BAKER
|BAKER
|BRAZIL
|Beta
|Bravo
|Bravo
|-
!scope="row"| C
|Casablanca
|Charlie
|CHARLIE
|CHARLIE
|COCO
|Coca
|Coca
|Charlie
|-
!scope="row"| D
|Danemark
|Dog
|DOG
|DAVID
|DADO
|Delta
|Delta
|Delta
|-
!scope="row"| E
|Edison
|Easy
|EASY
|EDWARD
|ELSA
|Echo
|Echo
|Echo
|-
!scope="row"| F
|Florida
|Fox
|FOX
|FREDDIE
|FIESTA
|Foxtrot
|Foxtrot
|Foxtrot
|-
!scope="row"| G
|Gallipoli
|George
|GEORGE
|GEORGE
|GATO
|Golf
|Gold
|Golf
|-
!scope="row"| H
|Havana
|How
|HOW
|HARRY
|HOMBRE
|Hotel
|Hotel
|Hotel
|-
!scope="row"| I
|Italia
|Item
|ITEM
|IDA
|INDIA
|India
|India
|India
|-
!scope="row"| J
|Jérusalem
|Jig
|JIG
|JOHN
|JULIO
|Julietta
|Juliett
|Juliett
|-
!scope="row"| K
|Kilogramme
|King
|KING
|KING
|KILO
|Kilo
|Kilo
|Kilo
|-
!scope="row"| L
|Liverpool
|Love
|LOVE
|LEWIS
|LUIS
|Lima
|Lima
|Lima
|-
!scope="row"| M
|Madagascar
|Mike
|MIKE
|MARY
|MAMA
|Metro
|Metro
|Mike
|-
!scope="row"| N
|New York
|Nan (later Nickel)
|NAN
|NANCY
|NORMA
|Nectar
|Nectar
|November
|-
!scope="row"| O
|Oslo
|Oboe
|OBOE
|OTTO
|OPERA
|Oscar
|Oscar
|Oscar
|-
!scope="row"| P
|Paris
|Peter
|PETER
|PETER
|PERU
|Polka
|Papa
|Papa
|-
!scope="row"| Q
|Québec
|Queen
|QUEEN
|QUEEN
|QUEBEC
|Quebec
|Quebec
|Quebec
|-
!scope="row"| R
|Roma
|Roger
|ROGER
|ROBERT
|ROSA
|Romeo
|Romeo
|Romeo
|-
!scope="row"| S
|Santiago
|Sail/Sugar
|SUGAR
|SUSAN
|SARA
|Sierra
|Sierra
|Sierra
|-
!scope="row"| T
|Tripoli
|Tare
|TARE
|THOMAS
|TOMAS
|Tango
|Tango
|Tango
|-
!scope="row"| U
|Upsala
|Uncle
|UNCLE
|UNION
|URUGUAY
|Union
|Union
|Uniform
|-
!scope="row"| V
|Valencia
|Victor
|VICTOR
|VICTOR
|VICTOR
|Victor
|Victor
|Victor
|-
!scope="row"| W
|Washington
|William
|WILLIAM
|WILLIAM
|WHISKEY
|Whiskey
|Whiskey
|Whisky
|-
!scope="row"| X
|Xanthippe
|X-ray
|XRAY
|X-RAY
|EQUIS
|X-RAY
|eXtra
|X-ray
|-
!scope="row"| Y
|Yokohama
|Yoke
|YOKE
|YOUNG
|YOLANDA
|Yankey
|Yankee
|Yankee
|-
!scope="row"| Z
|Zürich
|Zebra
|ZEBRA
|ZEBRA
|ZETA
|Zebra
|Zulu
|Zulu
|-
!scope="row"| 0
|
|Zero
|Zero
|
|
|
|
|Zero
|-
!scope="row"| 1
|
|One
|Wun
|
|
|
|
|One
|-
!scope="row"| 2
|
|Two
|Too
|
|
|
|
|Two
|-
!scope="row"| 3
|
|Three
|Thuh-ree
|
|
|
|
|Three
|-
!scope="row"| 4
|
|Four
|Fo-wer
|
|
|
|
|Four
|-
!scope="row"| 5
|
|Five
|Fi-yiv
|
|
|
|
|Five
|-
!scope="row"| 6
|
|Six
|Six
|
|
|
|
|Six
|-
!scope="row"| 7
|
|Seven
|Seven
|
|
|
|
|Seven
|-
!scope="row"| 8
|
|Eight
|Ate
|
|
|
|
|Eight
|-
!scope="row"| 9
|
|Nine
|Niner
|
|
|
|
|Niner
|-
!scope="row"| .
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|Decimal
|-
!scope="row"| 100
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|Hundred
|-
!scope="row"| 1000
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|Thousand
|}

=== International maritime mobile service ===
The ITU-R Radiotelephony Alphabet is used by the [[International Maritime Organization]] for international marine communications.<!--
See also [http://www.skiba.com.au/data/resources/av_art/alpha.pdf International Phonetic Alphabet], [http://blog.privatefly.com/history-of-the-nato-phonetic-alphabet HISTORY OF THE NATO PHONETIC ALPHABET] and [http://aviationknowledge.wikidot.com/aviation:nato-phonetic-alphabet What is the phonetic alphabet?] -->

{| class="wikitable"
|+
!scope="col"| Letter
!scope="col" width=100px| 1932–1965 IMO code words{{sfn |ITU|1947|p=275E}}
!scope="col" width=100px| 1965–present (WRC-03) IMO code words<ref name="rijekasmcp">{{Cite web|url=http://www.segeln.co.at/media/pdf/smcp.pdf|title=IMO Standard Marine Communication Phrases (SMCP)|date=4 April 2000|location=Rijeka|publisher=International Maritime Organization|access-date=30 January 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190222021120/http://www.segeln.co.at/media/pdf/smcp.pdf|archive-date=22 February 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>
!scope="col" width=100px| 1967 WARC code words<ref name="International-Telecommunication-Union-1967">{{Cite web|url=http://handle.itu.int/11.1004/020.1000/4.94.43.en.100|title=Final Acts of WARC Mar|date=1967|location=Geneva|publisher=International Telecommunication Union|access-date=30 January 2019| ref = {{harvid|ITU|1967}}}}</ref>
!scope="col" width=100px| 2000–present IMO SMCP pronunciations<ref name="rijekasmcp"/>
!scope="col" width=100px| 1967 WARC pronunciations<ref name="International-Telecommunication-Union-1967" />
!scope="col" width=100px| 2007–present ITU-R pronunciations<ref name="ITU" />
|-
!scope="row"| A
|Amsterdam
|colspan=2|Alfa
|<u>Al</u>fa
|<u>AL</u> FAH
|<u>AL</u> FAH
|-
!scope="row"| B
|Baltimore
|colspan=2|Bravo
|<u>Bravo</u>
|<u>BRAH</u> VOH
|<u>BRAH</u> VOH
|-
!scope="row"| C
|Casablanca
|colspan=2|Charlie
|<u>Char</u>lie
|<u>CHAR</u> LEE ''or'' <u>SHAR</u> LEE
|<u>CHAR</u> LEE ''or'' <u>SHAR</u> LEE
|-
!scope="row"| D
|Danemark
|colspan=2|Delta
|<u>Del</u>ta
|<u>DELL</u> TAH
|<u>DELL</u> TAH
|-
!scope="row"| E
|Edison
|colspan=2|Echo
|<u>Ech</u>o
|<u>ECK</u> OH
|<u>ECK</u> OH
|-
!scope="row"| F
|Florida
|colspan=2|Foxtrot
|<u>Fox</u>trot
|<u>FOKS</u> TROT
|<u>FOKS</u> TROT
|-
!scope="row"| G
|Gallipoli
|colspan=2|Golf
|Golf
|GOLF
|GOLF
|-
!scope="row"| H
|Havana
|colspan=2|Hotel
|Hot<u>el</u>
|HOH <u>TELL</u>
|HOH <u>TELL</u>
|-
!scope="row"| I
|Italia
|colspan=2|India
|<u>In</u>dia
|<u>IN</u> DEE AH
|<u>IN</u> DEE AH
|-
!scope="row"| J
|Jérusalem
|colspan=2|Juliett
|Juli<u>et</u>
|<u>JEW</u> LEE <u>ETT</u>
|<u>JEW</u> LEE <u>ETT</u>
|-
!scope="row"| K
|Kilogramme
|colspan=2|Kilo
|<u>Ki</u>lo
|<u>KEY</u> LOH
|<u>KEY</u> LOH
|-
!scope="row"| L
|Liverpool
|colspan=2|Lima
|<u>Li</u>ma
|<u>LEE</u> MAH
|<u>LEE</u> MAH
|-
!scope="row"| M
|Madagascar
|colspan=2|Mike
|Mike
|MIKE
|MIKE
|-
!scope="row"| N
|New-York
|colspan=2|November
|Nov<u>em</u>ber
|NO <u>VEM</u> BER
|NO <u>VEM</u> BER
|-
!scope="row"| O
|Oslo
|colspan=2|Oscar
|<u>Os</u>car
|<u>OSS</u> CAH
|<u>OSS</u> CAH
|-
!scope="row"| P
|Paris
|colspan=2|Papa
|<u>Pa</u>pa
|PAH <u>PAH</u>
|PAH <u>PAH</u>
|-
!scope="row"| Q
|Québec
|colspan=2|Quebec
|Que<u>bec</u>
|KEH <u>BECK</u>
|KEH <u>BECK</u>
|-
!scope="row"| R
|Roma
|colspan=2|Romeo
|<u>Ro</u>meo
|<u>ROW</u> ME OH
|<u>ROW</u> ME OH
|-
!scope="row"| S
|Santiago
|colspan=2|Sierra
|Si<u>err</u>a
|SEE <u>AIR</u> RAH
|SEE <u>AIR</u> RAH
|-
!scope="row"| T
|Tripoli
|colspan=2|Tango
|<u>Tan</u>go
|<u>TANG</u> GO
|<u>TANG</u> GO
|-
!scope="row"| U
|Upsala
|colspan=2|Uniform
|<u>Uni</u>form
|{{nowrap|<u>YOU</u> NEE FORM}} ''or'' <br /> <u>OO</u> NEE FORM
|{{nowrap|<u>YOU</u> NEE FORM}} ''or'' <br /> <u>OO</u> NEE FORM
|-
!scope="row"| V
|Valencia
|colspan=2|Victor
|<u>Vic</u>tor
|<u>VIK</u> TAH
|<u>VIK</u> TAH
|-
!scope="row"| W
|Washington
|colspan=2|Whisky
|<u>Whis</u>ky
|<u>WISS</u> KEY
|<u>WISS</u> KEY
|-
!scope="row"| X
|Xanthippe
|colspan=2|X-ray
|<u>X</u>-ray
|<u>ECKS</u> <u>RAY</u>
|<u>ECKS</u> <u>RAY</u>
|-
!scope="row"| Y
|Yokohama
|colspan=2|Yankee
|<u>Yan</u>kee
|<u>YANG</u> KEY
|<u>YANG</u> KEY
|-
!scope="row"| Z
|Zurich
|colspan=2|Zulu
|<u>Zu</u>lu
|<u>ZOO</u> LOO
|<u>ZOO</u> LOO
|-
!scope="row"| 0
|Zero
|<u>ZEE</u>RO
|NADAZERO
|<u>ZEE</u>RO
|NAH-DAH-ZAY-ROH
|NAH-DAH-ZAY-ROH
|-
!scope="row"| 1
|One
|<u>WUN</u>
|UNAONE
|<u>WUN</u>
|OO-NAH-WUN
|OO-NAH-WUN
|-
!scope="row"| 2
|Two
|<u>TOO</u>
|BISSOTWO
|<u>TOO</u>
|BEES-SOH-TOO
|BEES-SOH-TOO
|-
!scope="row"| 3
|Three
|<u>'''TREE'''</u>
|TERRATHREE
|<u>'''TREE'''</u>
|TAY-RAH-TREE
|TAY-RAH-TREE
|-
!scope="row"| 4
|Four
|'''<u>FOW</u>ER'''
|KARTEFOUR
|'''<u>FOW</u>ER'''
|KAR-TAY-FOWER
|KAR-TAY-FOWER
|-
!scope="row"| 5
|Five
|<u>FIFE</u>
|PANTAFIVE
|<u>FIFE</u>
|PAN-TAH-FIVE
|PAN-TAH-FIVE
|-
!scope="row"| 6
|Six
|SIX
|SOXISIX
|SIX
|SOK-SEE-SIX
|SOK-SEE-SIX
|-
!scope="row"| 7
|Seven
|<u>SE</u>VEN
|SETTESEVEN
|<u>SE</u>VEN
|SAY-TAY-SEVEN
|SAY-TAY-SEVEN
|-
!scope="row"| 8
|Eight
|AIT
|OKTOEIGHT
|AIT
|OK-TOH-AIT
|OK-TOH-AIT
|-
!scope="row"| 9
|Nine
|'''<u>NI</u>NER'''
|NOVENINE
|'''<u>NI</u>NER'''
|NO-VAY-NINER
|NO-VAY-NINER
|-
!scope="row"| .
|
|
|DECIMAL
|
|DAY-SEE-MAL
|DAY-SEE-MAL
|-
!scope="row"| .
|Full stop
|
|STOP
|
|STOP
|STOP
|-
!scope="row"| ,
|Comma
|
|
|
|
|
|-
!scope="row"| 
|Break signal
|
|
|
|
|
|-
!scope="row"| ⁄
|Fraction bar
|
|
|
|
|
|-
!scope="row"| 1000
|
|<u>'''TOU'''</u>'''SAND'''
|
|<u>'''TOU'''</u>'''SAND'''
|
|
|}

==Variants==
Since "Nectar" was changed to "November" in 1956, the code has been mostly stable. However, there is occasional regional substitution of a few code words, such as replacing them with earlier variants, to avoid confusion with local terminology.
*As of 2013, it was reported that "Delta" was often replaced by "[[APCO radiotelephony spelling alphabet|David]]" or "[[Dixie]]" at [[Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport|Atlanta International Airport]], where [[Delta Air Lines]] is based, because "Delta" is also the airline's callsign.<ref name="HWUSAF">{{cite web |last1=Van Hare |first1=Thomas |title=Uncle Sam's Able Fox ‹ HistoricWings.com :: A Magazine for Aviators, Pilots and Adventurers |url=http://fly.historicwings.com/2013/03/uncle-sams-able-fox/#Local%20Variations%20Based%20on%20Need |website=fly.historicwings.com |access-date=7 August 2018 |date=1 March 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180807155845/http://fly.historicwings.com/2013/03/uncle-sams-able-fox/#Local%20Variations%20Based%20on%20Need |archive-date=7 August 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref> [[Air traffic control]] once referred to Taxiway D at the same airport as "Taxiway Dixie", though this practice was officially discontinued in 2020.<ref name="airliners">{{cite web |title=8/18/20 - Taxiway DIXIE at ATL has Reverted to D |url=https://www.airliners.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=1450683 |author=twincessna340a |website=Airliners.net |date=20 August 2020 |access-date=7 October 2021 |archive-date=7 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211007181131/https://www.airliners.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=1450683 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="klapper">{{cite tweet |last=Klapper |first=Ethan |user=ethanklapper |number=1296627077450534913 |title=Taxiway D at ATL has long been known as "Dixie" since it's a mega hub for Delta and it was thought this would cause radio confusion. It's now taxiway D — like at every other airport. !ATL 08/177 ATL TWY DIXIE CHANGED TO TWY D 2008181933-PERM |access-date=7 October 2021}}</ref><ref>{{Citation |title=Notice To Air Missions: Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta Intl Airport |url=https://notams.aim.faa.gov/notamSearch/nsapp.html |publication-date=2020-08-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230106222138/https://notams.aim.faa.gov/notamSearch/nsapp.html#/details |place=Atlanta, Georgia |publisher=Federal Aviation Administration |quote=!ATL 08/177 ATL TWY DIXIE CHANGED TO TWY D 2008181933-PERM |access-date=2023-01-06 |archive-date=6 January 2023 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
*"Foxtrot" may be shortened to "Fox" at airports in the United States.<ref name=BBC-2014>BBC (2014) [https://web.archive.org/web/20240914143317/https://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/mbarchers/html/A8245910 The NATO phonetic alphabet]</ref>
*British police use "Indigo" rather than "India".<ref name=BBC-2014/>
*In Indonesia, "London" is used in place of "Lima", because ''lima'' is the Malay word for 'five'.<ref name=BBC-2014/>
*It has been reported that "Hawk" is sometimes used for "Hotel" in the Philippines.<ref name=BBC-2014/>

==See also==
<!-- Please respect alphabetical order -->
* {{anl|Allied military phonetic spelling alphabets}}
* [[APCO radiotelephony spelling alphabet]] – Used by some US police departments
* {{anl|International Code of Signals}}
* Language-specific spelling alphabets
** [[Finnish Armed Forces radio alphabet]]
** [[German spelling alphabet]]
** [[Greek spelling alphabet]]
** [[Japanese radiotelephony alphabet]]
** [[Korean spelling alphabet]]
** [[Russian spelling alphabet]]
** [[Swedish Armed Forces radio alphabet]]
* [[List of military time zones]]
* [[List of NATO country codes]]
* {{anl|PGP word list}}
* {{anl|Q code}}
* {{anl|Radiotelephony procedure}}
** {{anl|Brevity code}}
*** {{anl|Ten-code}}
** {{anl|Procedure word}}
* {{anl|Spelling alphabet}}

== Explanatory notes==
{{Reflist|group="Note"}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Wiktionary|ICAO spelling alphabet}}
* {{cite web |title=The Postal History of ICAO: Annex 10 – Aeronautical Telecommunications |url=https://www.icao.int/secretariat/PostalHistory/annex_10_aeronautical_telecommunications.htm |publisher=ICAO |access-date=6 November 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190212211147/https://www.icao.int/secretariat/PostalHistory/annex_10_aeronautical_telecommunications.htm |archive-date=12 February 2019 |url-status=dead}}
* {{cite web|url=http://nato.int/cps/en/natohq/declassified_136216.htm/|title=NATO Declassified – The NATO Phonetic Alphabet|publisher=North Atlantic Treaty Organization}}
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UAT-eOzeY4M RobWords – The genius logic of the NATO phonetic alphabet]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nato Phonetic Alphabet}}
[[Category:Amateur radio]]
[[Category:International Civil Aviation Organization]]
[[Category:General aviation]]
[[Category:History of air traffic control]]
[[Category:Latin-script representations]]
[[Category:Military communications]]
[[Category:NATO standardisation]]
[[Category:Spelling alphabets]]
[[Category:Telecommunications-related introductions in 1956]]