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Phonetic alphabet translator
Type anything, and see it spelled the way pilots and controllers say it on the radio.
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The full alphabet
| Letter | Word | Say it |
|---|---|---|
| A | Alfa | 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 | 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 |
| V | Victor | VIK-tah |
| W | Whiskey | WISS-key |
| X | X-ray | ECKS-ray |
| Y | Yankee | YANG-key |
| Z | Zulu | ZOO-loo |
Numbers
| Digit | Say it |
|---|---|
| 0 | ZE-ro |
| 1 | WUN |
| 2 | TOO |
| 3 | TREE |
| 4 | FOW-er |
| 5 | FIFE |
| 6 | SIX |
| 7 | SEV-en |
| 8 | AIT |
| 9 | NIN-er |
A decimal point is said as DAY-see-mal, so 118.7 is “one one eight decimal seven”. Some countries say “point” instead. Numbers are normally read digit by digit, though altitudes in whole thousands and hundreds have their own form. The phonetic alphabet guide explains those.
Why spell things this way?
On a noisy radio, B, D and P sound alike, but Bravo, Delta and Papa don’t. The words were chosen to stay clear through static and for speakers of many languages. The odd spellings are deliberate too: “Alfa” and “Juliett” help speakers of other languages say them correctly.
An airline flight isn’t usually spelled out on the radio. BAW359 is “Speedbird three five niner”, using the airline’s own radio name. Spelling is for private aircraft registrations, taxiways, fixes and anything that needs to be made clear.
Quick answers
Is the NATO alphabet the same as the aviation alphabet?
Yes. The ICAO spelling alphabet and the NATO phonetic alphabet are the same 26 words, from Alfa to Zulu.
What is the phonetic alphabet for A, B, C?
Alfa, Bravo, Charlie. The translator above gives the word for any letter, and the table has all 26.
Why do pilots say niner instead of nine?
So it can’t be mistaken for five, or for the German “nein”. In the same way, 3 is “tree” and 5 is “fife”.
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For training and simulation only. These calculators are for learning and for games. Their results are automatic, and they don’t account for everything a real operation does. Never use them for real flight planning, navigation or air traffic control. Use your official charts, approved tools and procedures.
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