International spelling alphabet

Alfa, Bravo, Charlie.

Also known as: NATO phonetic alphabet, Radio alphabet

Engineering & technicalEveryday & digitalStandard profile

Meanings

The set of code words standing for the letters of the alphabet in radio and telephone communication.

Officially standardisedVerified fact
Represents each letter of the alphabet by a word, so that letters can be transmitted without confusion.
Contexts: Public information, Navigation
Historically documentedVerified fact
The words were selected by testing across speakers of several languages, and several intuitive choices were rejected for being confusable — the set is the output of an experiment rather than a committee's taste.
Contexts: Public information, Navigation
Common modern usageVerified fact
Commonly called the NATO alphabet, though it is maintained by the ITU and ICAO and used far beyond any military context.
Contexts: Public information, Navigation

Visual description

Twenty-six words, one to a letter, chosen so that no two sound alike and each is recognisable when only part of it is heard.

Symmetry: none
Orientation: upright

Confidence

IdentityHigh confidence: High confidence because the identity is defined by a current official standard, but only a single source has been found so far.
Historical originLow confidence: Low confidence because the historical origin is documented in encyclopedic references, but only a single source has been found so far, but the regional or cultural match to this specific claim is not precise.
Current useHigh confidence: High confidence because the current use is defined by a current official standard, but only a single source has been found so far.
Visual matchModerate confidence: Moderate confidence because the visual match is documented in encyclopedic references, but only a single source has been found so far.

Sources

Radio Regulations, procedural signals and the international phonetic alphabet
International Telecommunication Union · retrieved 2026-08-27
Cited for the identity and defined meaning of procedural signals, Q codes and the spelling alphabet. Amateur and military practice adds signals the Regulations do not define, and a record describing one says so.

Last reviewed 2026-08-27

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Meanings

The set of code words standing for the letters of the alphabet in radio and telephone communication.

Officially standardisedVerified fact

Represents each letter of the alphabet by a word, so that letters can be transmitted without confusion.

Contexts: Public information, Navigation

Historically documentedVerified fact

The words were selected by testing across speakers of several languages, and several intuitive choices were rejected for being confusable — the set is the output of an experiment rather than a committee's taste.

Contexts: Public information, Navigation

Common modern usageVerified fact

Commonly called the NATO alphabet, though it is maintained by the ITU and ICAO and used far beyond any military context.

Contexts: Public information, Navigation

Confidence

IdentityHigh confidence: High confidence because the identity is defined by a current official standard, but only a single source has been found so far.
Historical originLow confidence: Low confidence because the historical origin is documented in encyclopedic references, but only a single source has been found so far, but the regional or cultural match to this specific claim is not precise.
Current useHigh confidence: High confidence because the current use is defined by a current official standard, but only a single source has been found so far.
Visual matchModerate confidence: Moderate confidence because the visual match is documented in encyclopedic references, but only a single source has been found so far.

Sources

Radio Regulations, procedural signals and the international phonetic alphabet
International Telecommunication Union · retrieved 2026-08-27
Cited for the identity and defined meaning of procedural signals, Q codes and the spelling alphabet. Amateur and military practice adds signals the Regulations do not define, and a record describing one says so.

Last reviewed 2026-08-27