Military Alphabet (NATO Phonetic Alphabet)
The military alphabet gives every letter a code word so it can’t be misheard over radio or phone: A is Alfa, B is Bravo, C is Charlie, all the way to Z for Zulu. Type a name, call sign or reference below to spell it out.
Military alphabet chart
| Letter | Code word | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| 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 |
Pronunciations follow the ICAO standard, with the stressed syllable in capitals.
Numbers in the military alphabet
Digits are said one at a time, with a few changes so they carry clearly over radio. “Niner” avoids confusion with the German “nein”, and “fife” and “tree” are easier to hear through static:
| Digit | Word | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | Zero | ZE-ro |
| 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 |
So flight 2197 is read “two one niner seven”, and a time of 1430 is “one four three zero”. For how to read the time itself, see the military time converter.
Why the military alphabet exists
Many letters sound alike, especially over a poor radio or phone line: B, D, E, P, T and V are easy to confuse, and so are M and N. Code words that sound completely different fix that. The current alphabet was tested with speakers of several languages and adopted by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and NATO in 1956. Today it is used by armed forces, pilots and air traffic controllers, ships, emergency services, and anyone spelling a name or booking reference over the phone.
Military slang from the alphabet
| Phrase | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Bravo Zulu | Well done (a naval signal that became general praise) |
| Oscar Mike | On the move |
| Charlie Mike | Continue mission |
| Lima Charlie | Loud and clear (radio check) |
| Tango Down | Target or enemy down |
| Roger | Message received (from “Roger” = R in the old alphabet) |
| Zulu time | UTC, the time zone lettered Z. See the military time converter |
| Whiskey Tango Foxtrot | Polite way to spell out a very impolite question |
Police phonetic alphabet
Many US police departments use the older APCO alphabet, heard in TV dispatch calls (“Adam 12”). Others have switched to the NATO words above, so check your agency’s standard. Pick “US police (APCO)” in the translator to spell with it.
| Letter | Police (APCO) | Military (NATO) |
|---|---|---|
| A | Adam | Alfa |
| B | Boy | Bravo |
| C | Charles | Charlie |
| D | David | Delta |
| E | Edward | Echo |
| F | Frank | Foxtrot |
| G | George | Golf |
| H | Henry | Hotel |
| I | Ida | India |
| J | John | Juliett |
| K | King | Kilo |
| L | Lincoln | Lima |
| M | Mary | Mike |
| N | Nora | November |
| O | Ocean | Oscar |
| P | Paul | Papa |
| Q | Queen | Quebec |
| R | Robert | Romeo |
| S | Sam | Sierra |
| T | Tom | Tango |
| U | Union | Uniform |
| V | Victor | Victor |
| W | William | Whiskey |
| X | X-ray | X-ray |
| Y | Young | Yankee |
| Z | Zebra | Zulu |
The old military alphabet (1941–1956)
During World War II, US and British forces used the Joint Army/Navy alphabet, which is why some older films and veterans say “Able, Baker, Charlie”. Only a few words survived into today’s alphabet, including Charlie, Mike, Victor and X-ray.
| Letter | WWII (Able Baker) | Today (NATO) |
|---|---|---|
| A | Able | Alfa |
| B | Baker | Bravo |
| C | Charlie | Charlie |
| D | Dog | Delta |
| E | Easy | Echo |
| F | Fox | Foxtrot |
| G | George | Golf |
| H | How | Hotel |
| I | Item | India |
| J | Jig | Juliett |
| K | King | Kilo |
| L | Love | Lima |
| M | Mike | Mike |
| N | Nan | November |
| O | Oboe | Oscar |
| P | Peter | Papa |
| Q | Queen | Quebec |
| R | Roger | Romeo |
| S | Sugar | Sierra |
| T | Tare | Tango |
| U | Uncle | Uniform |
| V | Victor | Victor |
| W | William | Whiskey |
| X | X-ray | X-ray |
| Y | Yoke | Yankee |
| Z | Zebra | Zulu |
Frequently asked questions
What is the military alphabet?
It is the NATO phonetic alphabet: a code word for each letter, from Alfa, Bravo, Charlie to X-ray, Yankee, Zulu. It was adopted internationally in 1956 and is used by the US military, NATO, pilots, air traffic control and many police and emergency services, so letters are understood clearly over radio and phone.
What is M in the military alphabet?
M is Mike. Other commonly searched letters: J is Juliett, P is Papa, G is Golf, U is Uniform, Q is Quebec and N is November.
Why is it spelled Alfa and Juliett?
The official spellings help non-English speakers. “Alfa” avoids a “ph” that might not be read as F, and the double T in “Juliett” tells French speakers not to treat the final T as silent.
Is the police alphabet the same as the military alphabet?
Not always. Many US police agencies still use the older APCO alphabet (Adam, Boy, Charles, David…), while others have switched to the NATO alphabet (Alfa, Bravo, Charlie, Delta…). Both are shown on this page.
What does Bravo Zulu mean?
Well done. It started as a US Navy signal flag message for a job well done and is now used across the military.
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