ICAO Phonetic Alphabet (NATO Phonetic Alphabet)
The ICAO phonetic alphabet is the international standard spelling alphabet for aviation, maritime, and military radio. Introduced 1956, identical with the NATO alphabet.
Source: ICAO Annex 10 Volume II, Chapter 5.2.
Table
| Letter | Word | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| A | Alpha | 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 / OO-nee-form |
| V | Victor | VIK-tah |
| W | Whiskey | WISS-key |
| X | X-ray | ECKS-ray |
| Y | Yankee | YANG-key |
| Z | Zulu | ZOO-loo |
Source: ICAO Annex 10 Volume II, Table 5-1.
Stressed syllables
Bold marks the stressed syllables in pronunciation — important for clear radio intelligibility:
- Al-FA, BRAH-voh, CHAR-lee, DELL-tah, ECK-oh
- FOKS-trot, GOLF, hoh-TELL, IN-dee-ah, JEW-lee-ETT
- KEY-loh, LEE-mah, MIKE, no-VEM-ber, OSS-cah
- PAH-PAH, keh-BECK, ROW-me-oh, see-AIR-rah, TANG-go
- YOU-nee-form, VIK-tah, WISS-key, ECKS-ray, YANG-key, ZOO-loo
When to use?
- Aircraft callsign: "Delta Echo Mike Romeo Alpha" for DEMRA.
- Navigation aid identifiers: VORs, NDBs.
- Airport codes: "Echo Delta Delta Mike" for EDDM (Munich).
- Route designations: routes, waypoints.
- On comprehension difficulty: repeat unclear words with the alphabet.
Common errors
- Improvisation instead of standard words: "Alpha" rather than "Alpha", "Berlin" rather than "Bravo".
- Native-language accent: ATC often understands anyway, but for international traffic keep to the standard.
Consistent application
Example transmission:
"Munich Tower, Delta Echo Mike Romeo Alpha, request taxi."
→ Standard sound: "Munich Tower, DEL-tah ECK-oh MIKE ROW-me-oh AL-FA, request taxi."
Also outside aviation
The NATO phonetic alphabet is used in:
- Maritime radio (same standard).
- Military worldwide.
- Emergency services (fire, police in many countries).
- Business telephony.
Historical
Introduced in 1956 as joint NATO/ICAO standard. Predecessor versions from WW2 (e.g. RAF: Able-Baker-Charlie-Dog-Easy).