Everyday radio work
Phonetic alphabet and numbers
also: ICAO spelling alphabet
Alfa to Zulu: the international spelling alphabet used at sea, in the air and by rescue services, plus the seagoing way to say numbers.
Key facts
- One alphabet serves ships, aircraft and rescue services alike: the ICAO spelling alphabet, adopted for the maritime service by the ITU. Most people call it the NATO alphabet.
- Alfa and Juliett are spelled that way on purpose. Alfa, so that speakers of languages without "ph" still read an F; Juliett with double T, so that French speakers pronounce the final T instead of dropping it.
- Numbers are spoken digit by digit: course zero-four-five, not "forty-five". The decimal point is the word DECIMAL: one-six-decimal-eight.
- Four digits get a changed pronunciation so they survive bad radio: TREE for three, FOW-ER for four, FIFE for five and NIN-ER for nine. NIN-ER exists because a clipped "nine" is too easy to lose or mistake.
- The ITU Radio Regulations also contain long figure code words (NADAZERO, UNAONE, BISSOTWO and so on) for very poor conditions. They are in the book, but at sea you will rarely hear them.
- Spell when it matters: names, call signs, cargo codes, anything the other side has to write down. Say the word first, then spell it.
The spelling alphabet
| Letter | Code word | Spoken as |
|---|---|---|
| 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 |
Numbers on the radio
| Figure | Spoken as |
|---|---|
| 0 | ZERO |
| 1 | WUN |
| 2 | TOO |
| 3 | TREE |
| 4 | FOW-ER |
| 5 | FIFE |
| 6 | SIX |
| 7 | SEV-EN |
| 8 | AIT |
| 9 | NIN-ER |
| decimal point | DECIMAL |
| 1000 | TOU-SAND |
Watch out
If a name is easy, say it and spell it anyway when the other side must write it down: "Maya: MIKE ALFA YANKEE ALFA". The spoken word confirms the spelling and the spelling confirms the word.
Listen: the standard phrases
Recordings from our SMCP trainer, in the accents you actually hear on the air.
Where this comes from
ICAO spelling alphabet as adopted by the ITU (Radio Regulations, Appendix 14); IMO SMCP (spelling and digits).
This is not a legal text: when in doubt, the current wording of the Radio Regulations and the SMCP decides.
See also: Signal flags: the same letters, hoisted ยท Morse code: the same letters, keyed