Text to NATO Converter
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Alphabet
A
Alpha
AL-fah
Greek letter; ICAO spells Alfa for international clarity
B
Bravo
BRAH-voh
Spanish/Italian brave
C
Charlie
CHAR-lee
English name; replaced Casablanca
D
Delta
DEL-tah
Greek letter; NASA mission naming convention
E
Echo
EKK-oh
Greek myth nymph; highly distinctive on radio
F
Foxtrot
FOKS-trot
Ballroom dance; extra syllables prevent confusion
G
Golf
Golf
Scottish sport — monosyllable, very clear
H
Hotel
HOH-tell
French origin; replaced RAF Harry
I
India
IN-dee-ah
Country name; 3 syllables prevent confusion
J
Juliett
JEW-lee-ett
Double-T forces French speakers to pronounce final consonant
K
Kilo
KEY-loh
Greek for thousand; globally understood SI prefix
L
Lima
LEE-mah
Capital of Peru — city pronunciation, not lime
M
Mike
Myke
English name; also slang for microphone
N
November
NOH-vem-ber
Latin ninth month (old Roman calendar)
O
Oscar
OSS-car
Old Norse divine spear
P
Papa
PAH-pah
Cross-linguistic for father; universally understood
Q
Quebec
keh-BECK
Canadian province; stress on second syllable
R
Romeo
ROH-me-oh
Shakespeares Romeo; NATO ship classification prefix
S
Sierra
see-AIR-ah
Spanish mountain range
T
Tango
TANG-go
Argentine ballroom dance; UTC offset indicator
U
Uniform
YOU-nee-form
Military dress standard; 4 syllables ensure clarity
V
Victor
VIK-ter
Latin conqueror; WWII victory codename
W
Whiskey
WISS-key
Irish/Scottish spirit
X
X-Ray
EKS-ray
Rontgens 1895 discovery
Y
Yankee
YANG-kee
American English term; Zulu offset indicator
Z
Zulu
ZOO-loo
South African nation; Zulu = UTC+0 in military time
Phonetic Numbers
0
Zero
ZEE-roh
1
One
WUN
2
Two
TOO
3
Three
TREE
4
Four
FOW-er
5
Five
FIFE
6
Six
SIX
7
Seven
SEV-en
8
Eight
AIT
9
Nine
NIN-er
Usage Rules
Three rules: Accuracy — exact codeword, no shortcuts. Brevity — under 30 seconds. Clarity — enunciate each syllable.
Decimal = "DECIMAL" · Period = "STOP" · Never say "REPEAT" — say "SAY AGAIN"
Decimal = "DECIMAL" · Period = "STOP" · Never say "REPEAT" — say "SAY AGAIN"
History
ICAO tested each word against noise, interference, and 31 language groups. Alfa (not Alpha) — prevents Spanish/Portuguese mispronunciation. Juliett (double-T) — forces French speakers to pronounce the final consonant. Niner (not Nine) — avoids confusion with German "nein" (no).