Summary
Pilots and those in the aviation profession learn a special type of alphabet: the aviation alphabet. This is the alphabet used by pilots, air traffic controllers, and the military, among others, to correctly issue instructions.
The International Civil Aviation Organization created the International Radiotelephony Spelling Alphabet, tied to the English alphabet, to ensure that letters are properly pronounced and understood by air traffic controllers and pilots around the world, regardless of language. The ICAO alphabet provides clarity and prevents misunderstandings caused by similar-sounding letters and numbers. Some letters—M and N, B and D—are easy to confuse, which can be exacerbated by static or interference in communications between the cockpit and the control tower.
For instance, every aircraft has a tail number, like N719BW. When a pilot speaks with air traffic control, that plane would be identified as “November Seven One Niner Bravo Whiskey.”
Organizations Using the Aviation or ICAO Alphabet
After the aviation organization established the phonetic alphabet in the 1950s, it was adopted by numerous organizations, including the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the International Maritime Organization (IMO), the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions (ATIS), and the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU).
As a result of this widespread adoption, the alphabet is often known as “The NATO phonetic alphabet,” and there exists a variation termed the “ITU phonetic alphabet and figure code.” Learning the alphabet explained here will enable effective communication via radio or telephone across the globe.
Aviation Alphabet Variations
There are some variations in the phonetic alphabet used worldwide. Outside of North America, pilots may use non-English spellings such as Alfa (instead of Alpha) and Juliett (instead of Juliet). This is primarily because speakers of languages other than English and French may be unfamiliar with the pronunciation of “ph” as “f.” The extra T in Juliett is added since French speakers understand that a single T is silent.
The ICAO Phonetic Alphabet Explained
The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) provides resources, including recordings and posters, to help users pronounce the letters and numbers accurately. Out of the 26 letters, only 11—Bravo, Echo, Hotel, Juliett, Kilo, Mike, Papa, Quebec, Romeo, Whiskey, and Zulu—are provided with standardized English pronunciations by various agencies, although these pronunciations may differ slightly by organization.
- A: Alpha
- B: Bravo
- C: Charlie
- D: Delta
- E: Echo
- F: Foxtrot
- G: Golf
- H: Hotel
- I: India
- J: Juliet
- K: Kilo
- L: Lima
- M: Mike
- N: November
- O: Oscar
- P: Papa
- Q: Quebec
- R: Romeo
- S: Sierra
- T: Tango
- U: Uniform
- V: Victor
- W: Whiskey
- X: X-ray
- Y: Yankee
- Z: Zulu
ICAO Numbers and Their Pronunciation
The ICAO also provides guidance on the pronunciation of numbers used in aviation communications.
- 0: Zero
- 1: One
- 2: Two
- 3: Three
- 4: Four
- 5: Five
- 6: Six
- 7: Seven
- 8: Eight
- 9: Niner
- 100: Hundred
Cultural Relevance of the Phonetic Alphabet
In contemporary culture, individuals outside of military and aviation fields often recognize the phonetic alphabet through various media, including television shows and films. For instance, in the movie Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, Tina Fey portrays a journalist reporting from conflict zones in Pakistan and Afghanistan. The choice of the phonetic title over the original, The Taliban Shuffle, highlights a common Internet slang expression, “WTF,” which may reflect the journalist’s reaction to her precarious situation.
