Military Alphabet (NATO Phonetic Alphabet)
The military alphabet, commonly called the NATO phonetic alphabet, has 26 code words: Alfa, Bravo, Charlie, Delta, Echo, Foxtrot, Golf, Hotel, India, Juliett, Kilo, Lima, Mike, November, Oscar, Papa, Quebec, Romeo, Sierra, Tango, Uniform, Victor, Whiskey, Xray, Yankee and Zulu, spelled as the FAA’s Aeronautical Information Manual prints them (the NATO page writes X-ray with a hyphen), and the FAA table also gives code words for the digits 0 to 9.
Maintained by Archie Chang · Sources retrieved on November 2, 2026 · Methodology & sources
Military alphabet converter
Code words appear here as you type.
Military alphabet chart, A to Z
| Letter | Code word | Pronunciation (as the FAA prints it) | Morse code (as the FAA prints it) |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | Alfa | (AL-FAH) | ● — |
| B | Bravo | (BRAH-VOH) | — ● ● ● |
| C | Charlie | (CHAR-LEE) or (SHAR-LEE) | — ● — ● |
| D | Delta | (DELL-TAH) | — ● ● |
| E | Echo | (ECK-OH) | ● |
| F | Foxtrot | (FOKS-TROT) | ● ● — ● |
| G | Golf | (GOLF) | — — ● |
| H | Hotel | (HOH-TEL) | ● ● ● ● |
| I | India | (IN-DEE-AH) | ● ● |
| J | Juliett | (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-AIR-RAH) | ● ● ● |
| T | Tango | (TANG-GO) | — |
| U | Uniform | (YOU-NEE-FORM) or (OO-NEE-FORM) | ● ● — |
| V | Victor | (VIK-TAH) | ● ● ● — |
| W | Whiskey | (WISS-KEY) | ● — — |
| X | Xray | (ECKS-RAY) | — ● ● — |
| Y | Yankee | (YANG-KEY) | — ● — — |
| Z | Zulu | (ZOO-LOO) | — — ● ● |
Numbers in the phonetic alphabet
| Digit | Code word | Pronunciation (as the FAA prints it) | Morse code (as the FAA prints it) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | One | (WUN) | ● — — — — |
| 2 | Two | (TOO) | ● ● — — — |
| 3 | Three | (TREE) | ● ● ● — — |
| 4 | Four | (FOW-ER) | ● ● ● ● — |
| 5 | Five | (FIFE) | ● ● ● ● ● |
| 6 | Six | (SIX) | — ● ● ● ● |
| 7 | Seven | (SEV-EN) | — — ● ● ● |
| 8 | Eight | (AIT) | — — — ● ● |
| 9 | Nine | (NIN-ER) | — — — — ● |
| 0 | Zero | (ZEE-RO) | — — — — — |
In the table retrieved on November 2, 2026, the decimal point had no row. The AIM covers it in paragraph 4-2-8:
“When a radio frequency contains a decimal point, the decimal point is spoken as ‘POINT.’”
“ICAO procedures require the decimal point be spoken as ‘DECIMAL.’ The FAA will honor such usage by military aircraft and all other aircraft required to use ICAO procedures.”
In the text retrieved on November 2, 2026, the table in AIM paragraph 4-2-7 had rows for the 26 letters and the 10 digits only, with no row for a punctuation mark.
Spelling and pronunciation differences between sources
We compared the FAA table with the NATO page “The NATO Phonetic Alphabet” and the NATO poster “Phonetic alphabet, codes & signals”. In the texts retrieved on November 2, 2026, the three agreed on all 26 code words except the spelling of X-ray, and on the respellings except as listed here. The FAA prints respellings in upper case and the poster in lower case; that is formatting, not a difference.
| Letter | FAA AIM 4-2-7 | Other source | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| C | (CHAR-LEE) or (SHAR-LEE) | (char-lee) | Pronunciation respelling differs (NATO poster) |
| U | (YOU-NEE-FORM) or (OO-NEE-FORM) | (you-nee-form) | Pronunciation respelling differs (NATO poster) |
| V | (VIK-TAH) | (vic-tah) | Pronunciation respelling differs (NATO poster) |
| X | Xray | X-ray | Code word spelled differently (NATO page) |
In the texts retrieved on November 2, 2026, the table in AIM paragraph 4-2-7, the NATO phonetic alphabet page and the NATO poster printed “Alfa” and “Juliett” as the code words for A and J, and none of the three printed “Alpha” or “Juliet” as a code word. In the NATO page text retrieved on November 2, 2026, the only “Alpha” was the title of a related video:
“Video: From 5.56mm to Alpha Bravo Charlie”
The AIM chapter that holds the table did use “Alpha” outside it, in paragraph 4-2-4 (Aircraft Call Signs), so “Alfa” (table 4-2-7) and “Alpha” (a 4-2-4 call-sign example) both appear in the FAA text we retrieved:
“When the aircraft manufacturer's name or model is stated, the prefix ‘N’ is dropped; e.g., Aztec Two Four Six Four Alpha.”
How the sources describe its use
The sources describe the alphabet in these words. The FAA’s table is the one this page copies:
“The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) phonetic alphabet is used by FAA personnel when communications conditions are such that the information cannot be readily received without their use.”
“ATC facilities may also request pilots to use phonetic letter equivalents when aircraft with similar sounding identifications are receiving communications on the same frequency.”
NATO describes it this way:
“The NATO phonetic alphabet is one of the most widely recognised symbols of the Alliance. Created in 1956, it helps NATO forces communicate with each other clearly and quickly, which can make all the difference in emergency situations.”
The NATO poster also mentions a use of two code words together:
“‘Bravo Zulu’, typically signalled with naval flags on ships at sea and meaning ‘well done’, is also commonly used in written communication by the military, for example by replying ‘BZ’ to an email.”
Where the alphabet came from
The NATO page dates the alphabet from 1956 and gives these two statements:
“On 21 February 1956, NATO Allies were advised ‘that the new Phonetic Alphabet is to be made effective in NATO 1 March 1956’ […]”
“The ITU formally adopted this phonetic alphabet a few years later, making it the established universal phonetic alphabet governing all military, civilian and amateur radio communications.”
The FAA calls the alphabet it prints the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) phonetic alphabet, and NATO calls its own page the NATO phonetic alphabet; the code words are the same apart from the X-ray spelling.
Related pages
- Military time chart and military time converter
- Military ranks for every branch
- Branches of the U.S. military
Frequently asked questions
What is the military alphabet?
The military alphabet is commonly called the NATO phonetic alphabet, a list of 26 code words for the letters A to Z. NATO’s page says: “Created in 1956, it helps NATO forces communicate with each other clearly and quickly, which can make all the difference in emergency situations.” The FAA’s Aeronautical Information Manual calls the alphabet it prints the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) phonetic alphabet; its 26 code words match NATO’s apart from the spelling of X-ray.
What are the 26 code words of the military alphabet?
Alfa, Bravo, Charlie, Delta, Echo, Foxtrot, Golf, Hotel, India, Juliett, Kilo, Lima, Mike, November, Oscar, Papa, Quebec, Romeo, Sierra, Tango, Uniform, Victor, Whiskey, Xray, Yankee and Zulu, as the table in AIM paragraph 4-2-7 prints them. NATO’s page prints the letter X as “X-ray” with a hyphen.
How do you say numbers in the phonetic alphabet?
The table in AIM paragraph 4-2-7 prints these code words and respellings: 1 One (WUN), 2 Two (TOO), 3 Three (TREE), 4 Four (FOW-ER), 5 Five (FIFE), 6 Six (SIX), 7 Seven (SEV-EN), 8 Eight (AIT), 9 Nine (NIN-ER), 0 Zero (ZEE-RO).
Is it Alpha or Alfa, and Juliet or Juliett?
In the texts retrieved on November 2, 2026, the table in AIM paragraph 4-2-7, the NATO phonetic alphabet page and the NATO poster printed “Alfa” and “Juliett” as the code words for A and J, and none of the three printed “Alpha” or “Juliet” as a code word. In the NATO page text retrieved on November 2, 2026, the only “Alpha” was the title of a related video, “From 5.56mm to Alpha Bravo Charlie”. The AIM chapter that holds the table did use “Alpha” outside it: paragraph 4-2-4, Aircraft Call Signs, says: “When the aircraft manufacturer's name or model is stated, the prefix ‘N’ is dropped; e.g., Aztec Two Four Six Four Alpha.” So the 4-2-7 table prints “Alfa”, and a 4-2-4 example of a call sign ends in “Alpha”.
Do the official sources agree on spelling and pronunciation?
Mostly, with these differences in the sources we compared: for C the AIM table prints (CHAR-LEE) or (SHAR-LEE) and the NATO poster prints (char-lee); for U the AIM table prints (YOU-NEE-FORM) or (OO-NEE-FORM) and the NATO poster prints (you-nee-form); for V the AIM table prints (VIK-TAH) and the NATO poster prints (vic-tah); for X the AIM table prints “Xray” and the NATO page prints “X-ray”. The FAA prints respellings in upper case and the poster in lower case; that is only formatting.
Why does the military use a phonetic alphabet?
NATO’s page says: “Created in 1956, it helps NATO forces communicate with each other clearly and quickly, which can make all the difference in emergency situations.” The AIM adds: “The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) phonetic alphabet is used by FAA personnel when communications conditions are such that the information cannot be readily received without their use.” It also says: “ATC facilities may also request pilots to use phonetic letter equivalents when aircraft with similar sounding identifications are receiving communications on the same frequency.”
How do you say a decimal point in a radio call?
AIM paragraph 4-2-8 says: “When a radio frequency contains a decimal point, the decimal point is spoken as ‘POINT.’” It adds: “ICAO procedures require the decimal point be spoken as ‘DECIMAL.’ The FAA will honor such usage by military aircraft and all other aircraft required to use ICAO procedures.”
Sources (retrieved November 2, 2026): FAA Aeronautical Information Manual, Chapter 4 Section 2 (paragraphs 4-2-7 and 4-2-8) · NATO: The NATO Phonetic Alphabet · NATO poster: Phonetic alphabet, codes & signals (PDF)