It can be easy to mishear words over the telephone, but using the NATO phonetic alphabet with words familiar to your audience can reduce confusion.
What Is the NATO Phonetic Alphabet?
The NATO Phonetic Alphabet is a way of spelling out letters that can be easily confused when spoken aloud.
For example, the postcode “NP2” could easily be misheard as “MB2”, which would be a very different location.
Names can also be confused – for example, the name Tate sounds very much like Kate.
To get around that, the phonetic alphabet was developed where letters are spelled out as words, hence, A is for Alpha, B is for Bravo.
What Letters in the English Language Are Easily Confused?
A number of letters in the English language sound similar and are easily confused:
- B, C, D, E, G, P, T and V
- M and N
- F, S and X
- Y and I
- G and J (particularly when pronounced by a non-native speaker)
The NATO Phonetic Alphabet
The Standard Phonetic Alphabet used in the UK is the NATO Phonetic Alphabet.
| Letter | Word | Phonic |
|---|---|---|
| A | Alpha | AL FAH |
| B | Bravo | BRAH VOH |
| C | Charlie | CHAR-LEE |
| D | Delta | DELL TAH |
| E | Echo | ECK OH |
| F | Foxtrot | FOKS TROT |
| G | Golf | GOLF |
| H | Hotel | HOH TELL |
| I | India | IN DEE AH |
| J | Juliette | JEW LEE ETT |
| K | Kilo | KEY LOH |
| L | Lima | LEE MAH |
| M | Mike | MIKE |
| N | November | NO VEM BER |
| O | Oscar | OSS CAH |
| P | Papa | PAH PAH |
| Q | Quebec | KEH BECK |
| R | Romeo | ROW ME OH |
| S | Sierra | SEE AIRRAH |
| T | Tango | TANG OH |
| U | Uniform | YOU NEE FORM |
| V | Victor | VIK TAH |
| W | Whiskey | WISS KEY |
| X | X-Ray | ECKS RAY |
| Y | Yankee | YANG KEY |
| Z | Zulu | ZOO LOO |
FREE Printable NATO Phonetic Alphabet
Do you want to download this to share with your team?
Get your free NATO phonetic alphabet in printable PDF format now:
Download Free NATO Phonetic Alphabet in Editable Word Format
Download Free NATO Phonetic Alphabet in Editable PowerPoint Format
If you are looking for other information on, or printable versions of, the phonetic alphabet – we’ve got you covered, just check out these next:
- What Is the Phonetic Alphabet?
- UK Phonetic Alphabet – Free Download
- French Phonetic Alphabet – Free Download
- Spanish Phonetic Alphabet – Free Download
- Comedy Phonetic Alphabet – Free Download
- Australian Phonetic Alphabet
Author: Jonty Pearce
Reviewed by: Hannah Swankie
Published On: 9th Jun 2023 - Last modified: 28th Aug 2024
Read more about - Skills, Downloads, Language, Phonetic Alphabet, Printable
