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What is the NATO alphabet?
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What is the NATO alphabet?

Written by
Tracy Grant
Tracy Grant is a senior editor at Encyclopaedia Britannica. She previously served as editor in chief, the first woman to hold that title. 
Tracy Grant
Fact-checked by
Britannica Editors
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
Britannica Editors
Last updated
•History

You’ve probably heard characters from the NATO alphabet used in war movies or TV shows. (Think “Checkpoint Charlie” for Checkpoint C or “Oscar Mike” for “on the move.”) But do you know the code words that represent each of the 26 letters? Well, here they are, followed by a bit about the alphabet’s origin story.

The NATO alphabet explained
English letter NATO code word
A Alfa
B Bravo
C Charlie
D Delta
E Echo
F Foxtrot
G Golf
H Hotel
I India
J Juliett
K Kilo
L Lima
M Mike
N November
O Oscar
P Papa
Q Quebec
R Romeo
S Sierra
T Tango
U Uniform
V Victor
W Whiskey
X Xray
Y Yankee
Z Zulu

History and evolution

The NATO alphabet is a phonetic alphabet in which words are used to represent letters to avoid confusion. For example, in ordinary usage the letters B, C, D, P, and V can be mistaken for each other, but Bravo, Charlie, Delta, Papa, and Victor pose no such possibility. Phonetic alphabets are an outgrowth of modern radio communications. The first official phonetic alphabet dates to the late 1920s, when the International Telecommunication Union adopted one to help avoid miscues over static radio lines.

Over the next few decades, that first phonetic alphabet became less English-centric and more inclusive of other languages. By the 1950s, as air travel became more common, the International Air Transport Association’s phonetic alphabet became the official one for civilian air travel. But it quickly became apparent that having multiple versions of the alphabet could create the exact confusion it was designed to prevent.

In 1956 the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) created a standardized alphabet, which a few years later was adopted for military, civilian, and amateur radio purposes.

Of course, the main reason for using the alphabet is for clarity and safety, but it has sometimes been used to convey words that might not be deemed acceptable for military communications. As an example, can you figure out what Whiskey-Tango-Foxtrot might stand for?

Tracy Grant