The military alphabet chart is the quickest way to spell letters out loud without them getting confused. It assigns a full code word to every letter — Alfa for A, Bravo for B — so a noisy radio or a bad phone line cannot turn a “B” into a “D”. Below is the complete A–Z chart with pronunciation and Morse code, the number words, and a version you can print or save as a PDF. To spell something instantly without reading the table, use the military alphabet converter on the homepage.
The full military alphabet chart (A–Z)
This is the official ICAO/NATO standard, which is what people mean by the “military alphabet”. Each row shows the letter, its code word, how the code word is said, and its Morse equivalent.
| Letter | Code word | Pronunciation | Morse |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | –.. |
A few spellings look odd on purpose. Alfa is spelled with an f so speakers of languages where “ph” is not an “f” sound still say it correctly, and Juliett keeps two ts so French speakers do not drop the final sound. They are not typos — they are what makes the chart work across languages.
Numbers in the military alphabet
Numbers are mostly spoken normally, but a handful are altered so they survive static and engine noise. Read multi-digit numbers one digit at a time: 59 is “fife niner”, not “fifty-nine”.
| Digit | Spoken as | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | Zero | Said normally — never “oh” |
| 1 | Wun | Clipped tight on a busy net |
| 2 | Too | Said normally |
| 3 | Tree | Drops the soft ‘th’ that vanishes over static |
| 4 | Fower | Two syllables so it can’t be heard as ‘for’ |
| 5 | Fife | Kept clear of ‘fire’ and ‘nine’ |
| 6 | Six | Said normally |
| 7 | Seven | Said normally |
| 8 | Ait | Clipped single syllable |
| 9 | Niner | Distinct from the German ‘nein’ and from ‘five’ |
Notice “three” becomes tree, “four” becomes fower, “five” becomes fife, and “nine” becomes niner. Zero is always “zero,” never “oh,” so it cannot be mistaken for the letter O. There is a fuller breakdown on the military alphabet numbers page.
How to read the chart out loud
The rule is simple: replace each letter with its code word. To spell JONES you say “Juliett, Oscar, November, Echo, Sierra.” In a casual setting you can add “as in” — “J as in Juliett” — which everyone understands even if they have never seen the chart. You do not spell every word this way; you switch into it when a letter absolutely has to land right: a name, a serial number, a grid reference, a confirmation code.
The letters people confuse most
The chart earns its keep on a handful of letter pairs that collapse into the same sound over a bad connection. These are the ones worth drilling first:
- B / D / P / T / V — over static these are nearly identical. Bravo, Delta, Papa, Tango and Victor share nothing but their job, so they never blur together.
- M / N — the classic mix-up. “Mike” and “November” cannot be confused the way “M” and “N” can.
- S / F — both hiss. “Sierra” and “Foxtrot” pull them apart.
- A / J / K — “Alfa,” “Juliett” and “Kilo” each open on a distinct syllable.
If you only memorise part of the chart, start here — these are the letters where getting it wrong actually costs you.
Printable military alphabet chart (PDF)
To keep a copy by the phone or radio, open this page and use your browser’s Print command (Ctrl/Cmd + P), then choose Save as PDF. The chart above prints cleanly on a single page. A printed copy next to a help-desk phone or a base radio is the fastest way to learn it — you reach for it a few times and then you do not need it anymore. If you are teaching children, the simpler letter-and-word version on the military alphabet for kids page works better as a colouring sheet.
Where the chart is used
Far beyond the military. Pilots and air traffic control use the identical aviation alphabet, which is why it spread worldwide; police and fire dispatchers spell plates and names with it; hospitals use it for drug names; IT and customer-service staff read out serial numbers and confirmation codes with it. Any time someone says “P as in Papa,” they are using this chart.
A note on the alphabet’s history
Today’s chart was not the first attempt. US forces used the homely “Able Baker” set (Able, Baker, Charlie, Dog) through World War II, but it leaned on sounds unique to English and fell apart across allied languages. The version above — Alfa through Zulu — was settled in the mid-1950s after trials across dozens of nationalities, and it has not meaningfully changed since. There is a fuller account on the history of the military alphabet.
Frequently asked questions
Is the military alphabet the same as the NATO alphabet?
Yes. “Military alphabet,” “NATO phonetic alphabet,” and “International Radiotelephony Spelling Alphabet” all name the same Alfa-to-Zulu chart. More on the names here.
Is it “Alpha” or “Alfa”?
The official spelling is Alfa. “Alpha” is the common English variant and is understood everywhere, but “Alfa” is the standard on the books.
How do I spell my name in the military alphabet?
Replace each letter with its code word from the chart above — or paste your name into the converter and it does it for you, with an audio readout so you can practise.
Do police use the same chart?
Not quite. US police usually use the APCO/LAPD set (Adam, Boy, Charles) instead. Compare them on the police alphabet page.
Related: military alphabet numbers · phrases & slang · police alphabet · history.