NATO Phonetic Alphabet
Spell anything letter by letter - Alfa, Bravo, Charlie - decode it back, hear it at radio pace and practise until it sticks
100% free. Runs entirely in your browser - your files and data never leave your device and nothing is uploaded to any server.
Your browser has no speech synthesis - spelling and copying still work.
Alphabet reference
Tap a letter to hear it.
About this tool
The NATO phonetic alphabet - Alfa, Bravo, Charlie, and so on through Zulu - exists to solve one specific problem: letters that sound alike over a noisy radio or phone line (B, D, and P, for instance) become unmistakable once each one is replaced by a whole word that starts with it. It is the standard used by aviation, military, emergency services and increasingly by anyone spelling a name, confirmation code or address over the phone. This tool spells out anything you type and can read the spelling aloud using your browser's built-in text-to-speech.
How to use this tool
- Type a word, name or codeLetters, digits and symbols (Dot, At, Dash) are spelled out. Presets cover names, emails, phone numbers, callsigns, plates, VINs, order IDs and passwords.
- Read the spellingEach character appears as a tile with its NATO word and, optionally, its ICAO pronunciation. Tap a tile to hear just that word.
- Play it aloud, copy or decodeRead Aloud at slow, normal or radio pace highlights each word as it is spoken. Copy in four formats, or switch to Decode to turn "Alfa Bravo" back into text.
- PractiseQuiz yourself letter to word, by ear, or word to letter, and try the 60-second challenge.
The NATO phonetic alphabet from A to Z
Alfa, Bravo, Charlie, Delta, Echo, Foxtrot, Golf, Hotel, India, Juliett, Kilo, Lima, Mike, November, Oscar, Papa, Quebec, Romeo, Sierra, Tango, Uniform, Victor, Whiskey, X-ray, Yankee, Zulu.
Use it when spelling a name, an email address, a booking reference or a postcode over the phone - "S for Sierra" leaves no doubt between S and F. Digits are usually said normally, though aviation and radio say "niner" for 9.
Key features
- Instant spelling for any word, name, confirmation code or postal code.
- Full reference table always visible, so you can look up a single letter without retyping anything.
- Optional read-aloud using your browser's own speech engine - no audio files, works offline once loaded.
- Copy as "A - Alfa", "Alfa Bravo", "A as in Alfa" or CSV, and batch-spell a whole list of names.
- Decode mode turns radio notes like "Alfa Bravo Two Tree" back into plain text.
- ICAO radio digits (Tree, Fife, Niner) on or off, plus pronunciation hints for every word.
- Practice quizzes, a 60-second challenge, a printable cheat sheet and a shareable PNG card.
Common uses
- Spelling a surname, street name or confirmation code clearly over the phone.
- Practising or teaching the NATO alphabet for aviation, amateur radio, or emergency-services training.
- Double-checking how to spell out a tricky username or reference number before a call.
- Learning the alphabet from scratch using the always-visible reference table.
Tips for better results
- Confirmation and reference codes (a booking code, a warranty number) are exactly what this alphabet was built for - spell it once here before reading it aloud on a call.
- The reference table stays visible below the spelling box specifically so you do not have to retype something just to look up one letter.
- If Read Aloud is unavailable, your browser does not support the Web Speech API's synthesis feature - the spelling itself still works normally, only the audio is affected.
- NATO uses "Xray" (not "X-ray") and "Alfa"/"Juliett" (not "Alpha"/"Juliet") - these are the official spellings, chosen specifically to avoid mispronunciation across languages.
Frequently asked questions
These are the official ICAO/NATO spellings, deliberately chosen to be pronounced consistently by speakers of many languages - "Alfa" avoids the "ph" sound some languages render differently, and "Juliett" and "Xray" (not X-ray) follow the same logic. This tool uses the official forms.
It depends on your browser and device - most modern browsers include an offline text-to-speech voice, so it typically works without a connection once the page itself has loaded. Voice quality varies by device and operating system.
Yes - the full A-Z, 0-9 reference table is always shown below the spelling tool, so you can scan it directly for one letter without typing anything into the input.
Yes - this is the official ICAO phonetic alphabet, standardised internationally and used by aviation, maritime, military and most emergency services worldwide.