📻 NATO Phonetic Alphabet Translator
Spell any name or code in the NATO phonetic alphabet (Alfa, Bravo, Charlie) with pronunciation, read it aloud, or decode code words back to text.
Full NATO / ICAO alphabet chart
| Character | Code word | Say it |
|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| 0 | Zero | ZE-RO |
| 1 | One | WUN |
| 2 | Two | TOO |
| 3 | Three (Tree) | TREE |
| 4 | Four | FOW-er |
| 5 | Five (Fife) | FIFE |
| 6 | Six | SIX |
| 7 | Seven | SEV-en |
| 8 | Eight | AIT |
| 9 | Nine (Niner) | NIN-er |
What NATO Phonetic Alphabet Translator Does
This NATO phonetic alphabet translator spells any name, reference number or license plate as code words — Kilo, Alfa, Tango, Echo — with a pronunciation guide under each one, and can read the result aloud. Switch direction to turn a string of code words back into letters.
The alphabet’s formal name is the International Radiotelephony Spelling Alphabet. It gives every letter a distinct word that stays recognizable over a bad phone line or a noisy radio, and that speakers of English, French and Spanish can all pronounce. It is used in aviation, the military, police and emergency services, shipping, and customer-service calls where a single wrong letter in a booking code costs time.
Numbers follow the radio convention too: 3 is “tree”, 5 is “fife” and 9 is “niner”, forms chosen because they survive clipped transmissions and cannot be confused with other words.
How to Use NATO Phonetic Alphabet Translator
- Choose Text → NATO or NATO → Text
- Type a name, code, flight number or license plate
- Read each letter’s code word and pronunciation
- Press Read aloud to hear it, or copy the spelled-out text
- Open the full chart for all letters and digits
NATO Phonetic Alphabet Chart
| Letter | Code word | Letter | Code word |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | Alfa | N | November |
| B | Bravo | O | Oscar |
| C | Charlie | P | Papa |
| D | Delta | Q | Quebec |
| E | Echo | R | Romeo |
| F | Foxtrot | S | Sierra |
| G | Golf | T | Tango |
| H | Hotel | U | Uniform |
| I | India | V | Victor |
| J | Juliett | W | Whiskey |
| K | Kilo | X | X-ray |
| L | Lima | Y | Yankee |
| M | Mike | Z | Zulu |
Numbers on the Radio
| Digit | Say | Digit | Say |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | ZE-RO | 5 | FIFE |
| 1 | WUN | 6 | SIX |
| 2 | TOO | 7 | SEV-en |
| 3 | TREE | 8 | AIT |
| 4 | FOW-er | 9 | NIN-er |
How to Read Your Result
Spelling on the phone
Say the letter first, then the word: “K as in Kilo, A as in Alfa”. For long codes, group them in threes or fours and pause between groups. Numbers are usually read digit by digit — 150 is “one five zero” — which avoids mishearing fifteen and fifty.
NATO vs. the APCO police alphabet
Some U.S. police and public-safety agencies still use the older APCO alphabet (Adam, Boy, Charles, David). If you are talking to a dispatcher who uses it, either set is understood — the goal is simply that each letter is unambiguous.
Limitations & Accuracy Notes
- Punctuation is named in plain English (Dash, Slash, Decimal); formal radio procedure has additional words for some symbols.
- Read-aloud uses your device’s built-in voices, which vary by system and may pronounce some words differently from the guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the NATO phonetic alphabet?
Why is it spelled Alfa and Juliett?
How do you say numbers in the phonetic alphabet?
How do I spell my name in the phonetic alphabet?
Is the NATO alphabet the same as the police alphabet?
Can I decode phonetic words back into letters?
References & Further Reading
- NATO phonetic alphabet — Wikipedia — History, ICAO spellings and pronunciations
- Spelling alphabet — Wikipedia
- APCO radiotelephony spelling alphabet — Wikipedia