Alphanumeric alphabet

The NATO phonetic alphabet is a Spelling Alphabet, a set of words used instead of letters in oral communication (i.e. over the phone or military radio). Each word ("code word") stands for its initial letter (alphabetical "symbol"). The 26 code words in the NATO phonetic alphabet are assigned to the 26 letters of the English alphabet in alphabetical order as follows:

Symbol	Code Word	Morse Code	Phonic (pronunciation)
A	Alfa/Alpha	● ▬	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 VEMBER
O	Oscar	▬ ▬ ▬	OSS CAH
P	Papa	● ▬ ▬ ●	PAH PAH
Q	Quebec	▬ ▬ ● ▬	KEH BECK
R	Romeo	● ▬ ●	ROW ME OH
S	Sierra	● ● ●	SEE AIRRAH
T	Tango	▬	TANG OH
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

The ability to communicate and make yourself understood can make a difference in life-threatening situations – imagine for example that you are trying to alert a search and rescue helicopter of the position of a downed pilot.

Phonetic alphabet

The NATO phonetic alphabet is useful to prevent spelling mistakes or miscommunication, especially when people from different countries with different accents and pronunciations work together. The NATO alphabet became effective in 1956 and, a few years later, turned into the established universal phonetic alphabet for all military, civilian and amateur radio communications. It assigns a word to each letter so that a letter's name begins with the letter itself.

International Morse Code

Morse code transmits text through on-off tones, light-flashes or clicks. It was widely used in the 1890s for early radio communication, before it was possible to transmit voice. Because Morse code has a long range, it was also used to transmit the international maritime emergency frequency (500 kHz), which was monitored by NATO ships at sea until the late 1990s. The SOS distress signal (...---...) is probably the best known message in Morse code.

Flaghoist communication

Ships use flags as signals to send out messages to each other. The use of flags, known as flaghoist communication, is a fast and accurate way to send information in daylight. Used individually or in combination, flags can form any sentence. One famous example is "England expects that every man will do his duty", a signal sent by Vice Admiral Horatio Nelson from his flagship during the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805.

Semaphore

Semaphore is a system in which a person sends information at a distance using hand-held flags – depending on the position of the flags, the message will vary. The signaller holds the flag in different positions that represent letters or numbers.

Panel signalling

Panels are visual signals for sending simple messages to an aircraft. Using a limited code, ground forces can send messages to pilots, for example to request medical supplies.

alphanumeric alphabet