Phonetic Alphabet Chart & Converter (NATO Alphabet) | Alpha, Bravo, Charlie
Look up the full NATO phonetic alphabet chart (Alpha, Bravo, Charlie…) and convert text to and from it — free and instant. The international standard used to prevent mishearing letters over radio and phone calls.
NATO Phonetic Alphabet Table
The NATO phonetic alphabet (NATO Phonetic Alphabet) is an international standard that assigns a unique word to each letter to prevent mishearing easily confused letters — like "B" and "D", or "M" and "N" — over radio and phone communication. Officially adopted by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), it's used worldwide as a common convention in air traffic control, military radio, amateur radio, and beyond.
Letters
| Character | Code Word |
|---|---|
| A | Alpha |
| B | Bravo |
| C | Charlie |
| D | Delta |
| E | Echo |
| F | Foxtrot |
| G | Golf |
| H | Hotel |
| I | India |
| J | Juliett |
| 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 |
Numbers
| Character | Code Word |
|---|---|
| 0 | Zero |
| 1 | One |
| 2 | Two |
| 3 | Three |
| 4 | Four |
| 5 | Five |
| 6 | Six |
| 7 | Seven |
| 8 | Eight |
| 9 | Nine |
What Is the NATO Phonetic Alphabet?
The NATO phonetic alphabet is a system that assigns a unique, easy-to-hear word to every letter so that spoken communication stays accurate even over noisy phone lines or radio channels. Letters that sound alike — "B" and "D," or "M" and "N" — are notoriously easy to mix up when spoken aloud, so each letter is replaced with a word like "Bravo" or "Delta" that's much harder to confuse. This tool converts any text you type into that standardized code, and can also decode a string of NATO code words back into the original text.
The conversion works on half-width Latin letters and digits only; it's not case-sensitive, and characters outside that range (such as non-Latin scripts) are simply skipped. Code words are separated by spaces, and word boundaries are marked with a slash, matching the same notation used across this site's other cipher and code tools. The word list itself comes from the International Civil Aviation Organization's official standard, so there's essentially no variation between countries or industries.
How to Convert Using the NATO Alphabet
- Choose a conversion direction Switch between converting text into code, or decoding code back into text.
- Enter your input Type text like "SOS TOKYO", or code like "Sierra Oscar Sierra." The result updates as you type.
- Copy the result Use the copy button to place the converted output on your clipboard for a message or note.
- Verify with a round trip Press "Swap & Re-convert" to feed the result back in and flip the mode, confirming you land back on the original text.
Tips for getting more out of it
- Input is case-insensitive: "tokyo" and "TOKYO" produce the exact same NATO code.
- Code words are separated by a space, and words are separated by a slash (" / ") — the same convention used by this site's Morse code converter.
- Characters not in the reference table (such as non-Latin scripts) are skipped automatically; only Latin letters and digits are supported.
- The "Swap & Re-convert" button turns the result into new input and flips the mode, so you can instantly verify a text → code → text round trip.
- Spelling out an email address or name over the phone is much less error-prone when you say "Bravo" instead of just "B".
Where the NATO Alphabet Comes in Handy
Spelling things out over the phone
Reading out an email address or a name letter by letter as code words drastically cuts down on the other person asking you to repeat yourself.
Reading out reference or confirmation numbers
When a booking number or account ID mixes letters and digits, spelling each character as a code word prevents a single digit from being misheard.
Radio communication
Amateur and professional radio operators rely on this code to get call signs and place names across clearly, even through static.
Practicing and memorizing the code words
Converting your own name or everyday words and checking the result repeatedly is a practical way to learn all 26 words by actually using them.
NATO Phonetic Alphabet Glossary
- Phonetic alphabet
- A system that assigns a distinct word to every letter so it can be communicated accurately by voice. Also called a spelling alphabet.
- Code word
- The word assigned to a given letter — "Alpha" for A, "Bravo" for B, and so on — chosen specifically for how easily it can be heard and recognized.
- ICAO
- The International Civil Aviation Organization, which formally adopted this code table in 1956 and helped establish it as a worldwide standard.
- Niner
- The way the digit 9 is pronounced in aviation radio — the extra syllable helps avoid it being confused with the German word "nein."
- Call sign
- A code used to identify a radio station. Since it's typically a mix of letters and digits, the phonetic alphabet is commonly used to transmit it clearly.
FAQ
Side Note — Where "Alpha, Bravo, Charlie" Came From
The NATO phonetic alphabet used worldwide today was formally adopted by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) in 1956. Before that, each country and each military branch used its own code system — even within the Allied forces during World War II, a different word set ("Able, Baker, Charlie...") was in use. As international communication grew, a shared word set that couldn't be misheard by anyone became necessary, and the 26 words we use today were born.
The code words were chosen through rigorous scientific testing. ICAO tested speakers of multiple languages under noisy radio conditions to determine which words were easiest to understand, selecting words that minimized pronunciation and hearing errors even among speakers of different native languages. "November," for example, was chosen over "Nectar" because it was judged clearer to pronounce and recognize.
This code table is used far beyond air traffic control — in emergency dispatch (fire and police radio), amateur radio, and even the tech industry. The common practice of engineers referring to "the Alpha build" or "the Bravo environment" when speaking a version name or identifier out loud speaks to just how widely recognized this international standard has become.