However, to gain the advantages of standardization in contexts involving trained persons, a standard version can be convened by an organization. For example, it is common to hear a nonce form like 'A as in 'apple', D as in 'dog', P as in 'paper'' over the telephone in customer support contexts. For example, in the Latin alphabet, the letters B, P, and D ('bee', 'pee' and 'dee') sound similar and could easily be confused, but the words 'bravo', 'papa' and 'delta' sound completely different, making confusion unlikely.Īny suitable words can be used in the moment, making this form of communication easy even for people not trained on any particular standardized spelling alphabet. This avoids any confusion that could easily otherwise result from the names of letters that sound similar, except for some small difference easily missed or easily degraded by the imperfect sound quality of the apparatus. The words chosen to represent the letters sound sufficiently different from each other to clearly differentiate them. Typically the alphabet would be spoken or written with dropped first-letters wherever appropriate, as in 'ay for 'orses.A spelling alphabet ( also called by various other names) is a set of words used to represent the letters of an alphabet in oral communication, especially over a two-way radio or telephone. The alphabet is based on a child-like alphabet (A for Apple, etc), replacing the correct words to form puns.

Its origins are uncertain, most probably evolving organically in Cockney London in the late 1800s or early 1900s. Not used by any important global standards organisations and certainly not recommended for use in confirming spellings, letters or words-it only confuses people!Īgain, there are different versions of this.

See the full alphabet below:Īs mentioned earlier, there are other versions of the alphabet, but the NATO one above is the original and most widely used.įor amusement only. Used by communicators around the world to clarify letters and spellings. NATO Phonetic Alphabet (Spelling Alphabet) If possible, request they confirm your spelling. ‘G, Golf T, Tango W, Whisky,’ or ‘GTW, Golf Tango Whisky.’ The name John would be communicated as 'J: Juliet, O: Oscar, H: Hotel, N: November' or just, 'John – Juliet, Oscar, Hotel, November'. In less formal use, for example by customer service telephone staff, communications tend to give the letters and clarify with each corresponding alphabet word e.g. For example, a registration or call sign of GTW would be stated as 'Golf Tango Whisky'. When used professionally by the police, military, or other governmental organisation in relaying abbreviations or letter codes, such as registrations, only the corresponding words are stated. The IPA is far more complicated, and as well as by linguists, is utilised by speech therapists, language teachers, etc. The NATO phonetic alphabet used for confirming spelling and words should not be confused with the International Phonetic Alphabet ( IPA) used by linguist to confirm or analyse pronunciation and word sounds. Different versions exist – however, this is the original major standard and still the most widely used. The NATO phonetic alphabet is a useful reference for language and communications training and study.

It was originally developed in the 1920s by the International Civil Aviation Organization and subsequently adopted by NATO (the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation) in 1956 among other significant global and national bodies covering telecommunications, maritime, and aviation. Most laypeople will be familiar with it from trying to spell their name or address with a customer service worker. It is used to identify letters precisely when communicating initials, abbreviations or the spellings of words. The phonetic language – also known as the 'spelling alphabet' or the NATO phonetic alphabet-is used by professional communicators like the police, military and other emergency and armed forces. Introduction to the NATO Phonetic Alphabet

Spelling alphabet english