NATO Phonetic Alphabet Converter
Convert text into the NATO standard phonetic alphabet (Alpha, Bravo, Charlie…) or decode a NATO code sequence back into text. The international standard used to prevent mishearing over radio and phone.
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 |
Tips
- 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".
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.