Spelling alphabet


A spelling alphabet, word-spelling alphabet, voice procedure alphabet, radio alphabet, or telephone alphabet is a set of words used to stand for the letters of an alphabet in oral communication.
A spelling alphabet is also often called a phonetic alphabet, especially by amateur radio enthusiasts, recreational sailors in the US and Australia, and NATO military organizations. However, this conflicts with the usage of the same phrase in phonetics to mean a notation used for phonetic transcription or phonetic spelling, such as the International Phonetic Alphabet, which is used to indicate the sounds of human speech.

History

Prior to spelling alphabets, the words used to indicate English letters were "a", "bee", "cee", "dee", "e", etc. Their spoken sounds are difficult to discriminate, particularly over a limited-bandwidth and noisy communications channel, hence the use by armed services of unambiguous phonetic alphabets for electrical voice communication. Confusion between letters may not be problematic in some circumstances but, particularly in some military contexts, it can have lethal consequences.
A large number of spelling alphabets have been developed over the past hundred-plus years, with the first ones being used to overcome problems with the early wired telephone networks, and the later ones being focused on wireless two-way radio links. Often, each communications company and each branch of each country's military developed its own spelling alphabet, with the result that one 1959 research effort documented a full 203 different spelling alphabets, comprising 1600 different words, leading the author of the report to ask:
Each word in the spelling alphabet typically replaces the name of the letter with which it starts. It is used to spell out words when speaking to someone not able to see the speaker, or when the audio channel is not clear. The lack of high frequencies on standard telephones makes it hard to distinguish an 'F' from an 'S' for example. Also, the lack of visual cues during oral communication can cause confusion. For example, lips are closed at the start of saying the letter "B" but open at the beginning of the letter "D" making these otherwise similar-sounding letters more easily discriminated when looking at the speaker. Without these visual cues, such as during announcements of airline gate numbers "B1" and "D1" at an airport, "B" may be confused with "D" by the listener. Spelling out one's name, a password or a ticker symbol over the telephone are other scenarios where a spelling alphabet is useful.
British Army signallers began using a partial spelling alphabet in the late 19th century. Recorded in the 1898 "Signalling Instruction" issued by the War Office and followed by the 1904 Signalling Regulations this system differentiated only the letters most frequently misunderstood: Ack Beer C D E F G H I J K L eMma N O Pip Q R eSses Toc U Vic W X Y Z. This alphabet was the origin of phrases such as "ack-ack", "pip-emma" for pm and Toc H for an ex-servicemen association. It was developed on the Western Front of the First World War. The RAF developed their "Telephony Spelling Alphabet", which was adopted by all three services and civil aviation in the UK from 1921.
It was later formally codified to provide a phonetic equivalent for all 26 letters.
For civilian users, in particular in the field of finance, terms such as "November" for N and "Kilo" for K were considered too long or obscure, and an alternative alphabet arose. Common first names were a popular choice, and the First Name Alphabet came into common use.

Voice procedure

Spelling alphabets are especially useful when speaking in a noisy environment when clarity and promptness of communication is essential, for example during two-way radio communication between an aircraft pilot and air traffic control, or in military operations. Whereas the names of many letters sound alike, the set of replacement words can be selected to be as distinct from each other as possible, to minimise the likelihood of ambiguity or mistaking one letter for another. For example, if a burst of static cuts off the start of an English-language utterance of the letter J, it may be mistaken for A or K. In the international radiotelephony spelling alphabet known as the ICAO phonetic alphabet, the sequence J–A–K would be pronounced Juliet–Alfa–Kilo. Some voice procedure standards require numbers to be spelled out digit by digit, so some spelling alphabets replace confusable digit names with more distinct alternatives; for example, the NATO alphabet has “niner” for 9 to distinguish it better from 5 and the German word “nein”.

Flaghoist spelling alphabets

Although no radio or traditional telephone communications are involved in communicating flag signals among ships, the instructions for which flags to hoist are relayed by voice on each ship displaying flags, and whether this is done by shouting between decks, sound tubes, or sound-powered telephones, some of the same distortions that make a spelling alphabet for radiotelephony also make a spelling alphabet desirable for directing seamen in which flags to hoist. The first documented use of this were two different alphabets used by U.S. Navy circa 1908. By 1942, the U.S. Army's radiotelephony spelling alphabet was associated with the ICS flags.

Telephone spelling alphabets

While spelling alphabets today are mostly used over two-way radio voice circuits, early on in telecommunications there were also telephone-specific spelling alphabets, which were developed to deal with the noisy conditions on long-distance circuits. Their development was loosely intertwined with radiotelephony spelling alphabets, but were developed by different organizations; for example, AT&T developed a spelling alphabet for its long-distance operators, another for its international operators; Western Union developed one for the public to use when dictating telegrams over the telephone; and ITU-T developed a spelling alphabet for telephone networks, while ITU-R was involved in the development of radiotelephony spelling alphabets. Even though both of these groups were part of the same ITU, and thus part of the UN, their alphabets often differed from each other.
Uniquely, the 1908 Tasmanian telegraph operator's code was designed to be memorized as follows:
Symbol1904 British Army 1904 AT&T1908 Tasmania1910 Western Union1912 Western Union1914 British Post Office1917 AT&Tc. 1917 AT&T Overseas1918 Western Union Western Union1932 ITU-T IITS Article 40 1932 ITU-T IITS Article 40 1942 Western Union1947 International Telecommunications Convention1958 International Telecommunications Convention
AAckAuthorityAdamsAppleAliceAMERICAAdamsAdamsAmsterdamAndrewAdamsAmsterdamAmsterdam
BBeerabBillsBostonBrotherBerthaBENJAMINBostonBostonBaltimoreBenjaminBostonBaltimoreBaltimore
CabcCaptureChicagoCharlieCharlesCHARLIEChicagoChicagoCasablancaCharlesChicagoCasablancaCasablanca
DbcdDestroyDoraDenverDoverDavidDAVIDDenverDenverDanemarkDavidDenverDanemarkDanemark
EEnglishmenEdwardEasternEdwardEDWARDEdwardEdwardEdisonEdwardEdwardEdisonEdison
FdefFractiousD-E-FFrankFatherFrankFRANKFrankFrankFloridaFrederickFrankFloridaFlorida
GGallopingGeorgeGeorgeGeorgeGEORGEGeorgeGeorgeGallipoliGeorgeGeorgeGallipoliGallipoli
HfghHighHenryHarryHenryHARRYHenryHenryHavanaHarryHenryHavanaHavana
IInvariablyIreland IndiaIdaISAACIdaIdaItaliaIsaacIdaItaliaItalia
JJugglingJerseyJackJamesJACKJohnJohnJérusalemJackJohnJudeJude
KKnightsKingKingKateKINGKingKingKilogrammeKingKingKilogrammeKilogramme
LLooseLincolnLondonLouisLONDONLincolnLincolnLiverpoolLucyLincolnLiverpoolLiverpool
MeMmaklmManagingMaryMotherMaryMARYMaryMaryMadagascarMaryMaryMadagascarMadagascar
NlmnNeverNewarkNovemberNelly?New YorkNew YorkNew YorkNellieNew YorkNew YorkNew York
OOwnersOceanOctoberOliverOLIVEROceanOceanOsloOliverOceanOsloOslo
PPipnopPlayPeterPeterPeterPETERPeterPeterParisPeterPeterParisParis
QQueenQueenQueenQuakerQUEBECQueenQueenQuébecQueenQueenQuebecQuebec
RRemarksRopertRobertRobertROBERTRopertRobertRomaRobertRobertRomaRoma
SeSsesqrsSupportSugarSugarSamuelSAMUEL?SugarSugarSantiagoSamuelSugarSantiagoSantiago
TTocrstTheTexasThomasThomasThomasThomasTripoliTommyThomasTripoliTripoli
UUnlessUnionUncleUtah?UnionUnionUpsalaUncleUnionUpsalaUpsala
VVictuvVindictiveVioletVictoriaVictorVICTORYVictorVictorValenciaVictorVictoryValenciaValencia
WWhenWilliamWednesdayWilliamWILLIAMWilliamWilliamWashingtonWilliamWilliamWashingtonWashington
XvwxXpeditiouslyX-RayXmasX-Ray?X-RayX-rayXanthippeXrayX-rayXanthippeXanthippe
YwxyYourYaleYellowYoung?YoungYoungYokohamaYellowYoungYokohamaYokohama
ZxyzZigzagX-Y-ZZeroZebraZebra?ZeroZeroZürichZebraZeroZurichZurich
0ZeroZero
1OneOne
2TwoTwo
3ThreeThree
4FourFour
5FiveFive
6SixSix
7SevenSeven
8EightEight
9NineNine
,CommaComma
/Fraction barFraction bar
.Full stop Full stop

Radiotelephony spelling alphabets

During WWI

Between WWI and WWII

Commercial and international telephone and radiotelephone spelling alphabets.
Symbol1919 U.S. Air Service1920 UECU Proposal 1927 International Radiotelegraph Convention 1930 ARRL List 1932 General Radiocommunication and Additional Regulations 1932 American Association of Railroads 1936 ARRL1938 International Radiocommunication Conference code words
AAbleArgentineAmsterdamAdamsAmsterdamAdamsAbleAmsterdam
BBoyBrusselsBaltimoreBostonBaltimoreBostonBoyBaltimore
CCastCanadaCanadaChicagoCasablancaChicagoCastCasablanca
DDockDamascusDenmarkDenverDanemarkDenverDogDanemark
EEasyEcuadorEddystoneEdwardEdisonEdwardEasyEdison
FFoxFranceFranciscoFrankFloridaFrankFoxFlorida
GGeorgeGreeceGibraltarGeorgeGallipoliGeorgeGeorgeGallipoli
HHaveHanoverHanoverHenryHavanaHenryHaveHavana
IItemItalyItalyIdaItaliaIdaItemItalia
JJigJapanJerusalemJohnJérusalemJohnJigJérusalem
KKingKhartoumKimberleyKingKilogrammeKingKingKilogramme
LLoveLimaLiverpoolLincolnLiverpoolLincolnLoveLiverpool
MMikeMadridMadagascarMaryMadagascarMaryMikeMadagascar
NNanNancyNeufchatelNew YorkNew YorkNew YorkNanNew-York
OObleOstendOntarioOceanOsloOceanOboeOslo
PPupParisPortugalPeterParisPeterPupParis
QQuackQuebecQuebecQueenQuébecQueenQuackQuébec
RRushRomeRivoliRopertRomaRobertRotRoma
SSailSardiniaSantiagoSugarSantiagoSugarSailSantiago
TTareTokioTokioThomasTripoliThomasTareTripoli
UUnitUruguayUruguayUnionUpsalaUnionUnitUpsala
VViceVictoriaVictoriaVictorValenciaVictorViceValencia
WWatchWashingtonWashingtonWilliamWashingtonWilliamWatchWashington
XX-rayXaintrieXantippeX-RayXanthippeX-rayX-rayXanthippe
YYokeYokohamaYokohamaYoungYokohamaYoungYokeYokohama
ZZedZanzibarZululandZeroZürichZeroZedZurich
Zero
One
Two
Three
Four
Five
Six
Seven
Eight
Nine

During WWII

The later NATO spelling alphabet evolved from the procedures of several different Allied nations during World War II, including:
For the 1938 and 1947 phonetics, each transmission of figures is preceded and followed by the words "as a number" spoken twice.
The ITU adopted the International Maritime Organization's phonetic spelling alphabet in 1959, and in 1969 specified that it be "for application in the maritime mobile service only".
During the late 1940s and early 1950s, there were two international aviation radio spelling alphabets, the "Able Baker" was used by most Western countries, while the "Ana Brazil" alphabet was used by South American and Caribbean regions.
Pronunciation was not defined prior to 1959. From 1959 to present, the underlined syllable of each code word for the letters should be stressed, and from 1969 to present, each syllable of the code words for the digits should be equally stressed, with the exceptions of the unstressed second syllables of fower, seven, niner, hundred.

ICAO Radiotelephone Spelling Alphabet

After WWII, the major work in producing a better spelling alphabet was conducted by the ICAO, which was subsequently adopted in modified form by the ITU and IMO. Its development is related to these various international conventions on radio, including:
The ICAO Radiotelephony Alphabet is defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization for international aircraft communications.
Symbol1932 ITU/ICAN Phonetic1951 IATA Phonetic1956–Present ICAO Phonetic
AAmsterdamAlfaAlfa
BBaltimoreBravoBravo
CCasablancaCocaCharlie
DDenmarkDeltaDelta
EEdisonEchoEcho
FFloridaFoxtrotFoxtrot
GGallipoliGolfGolf
HHavanaHotelHotel
IItaliaIndiaIndia
JJerusalemJuliettJuliett
KKilogrammeKiloKilo
LLiverpoolLimaLima
MMadagascarMikeMike
NNew YorkNovemberNovember
OOsloOscarOscar
PParisPapaPapa
QQuebecQuebecQuebec
RRomaRomeoRomeo
SSantiagoSierraSierra
TTripoliTangoTango
UUpsalaUniformUniform
VValenciaVictorVictor
WWashingtonWhiskeyWhisky
XXanthippeX-rayX-ray
YYokohamaYankeeYankee
ZZurichZuluZulu
1One
2Two
3Tree
4Fower
5Fife
6Six
7Seven
8Eight
9Niner
0Zero
-00Hundred
-,000Tousand
.Decimal

Law enforcement

Defined by the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials-International.
The APCO first suggested that its Procedure and Signals Committee work out a system for a "standard set of words representing the alphabet should be used by all stations" in its April 1940 newsletter.
Note: The old APCO alphabet has wide usage among Public Safety agencies nationwide, even though APCO itself deprecated the alphabet in 1974, replacing it with the ICAO spelling alphabet. See https://www.apcointl.org and APCO radiotelephony spelling alphabet.
SymbolAPCO Project 2
1967		APCO Project 14
AAdamALPHA
BBoyBRAVO
CCharlesCHARLIE
DDavidDELTA
EEdwardECHO
FFrankFOXTROT
GGeorgeGOLF
HHenryHOTEL
IIdaINDIA
JJohnJULIETTE
KKingKILO
LLincolnLIMA
MMaryMIKE
NNoraNOVEMBER
OOceanOSCAR
PPaulPAPA
QQueenQUEBEC
RRobertROMEO
SSamSIERRA
TTomTANGO
UUnionUNIFORM
VVictorVICTOR
WWilliamWHISKEY
XX-rayXRAY
YYoungYANKEE
ZZebraZULU
0ZERO
1WUN
2TOO
3TH-R-EE
4FO-WER
6SIKS
7SEV-VEN
8ATE
9NI-YEN

Amateur radio

The FCC regulations for Amateur radio state that "Use of a phonetic alphabet as an aid for correct station identification is encouraged" ), but does not state which phonetic alphabet should be used. Officially the same as used by ICAO, but there are significant variations commonly used by stations participating in HF contests and DX.
The official ARRL alphabet changed over the years, sometimes to reflect the current norms, and sometimes by the force of law. In rules made effective beginning April 1, 1946, the FCC forbade using the names of cities, states, or countries in phonetic spelling alphabets.
Symbol1930 ARRL List 1936–1946 ARRL1946–1969 ARRL1970–present ARRL DXDX alternate
AAdamsAbleADAMAlphaAmericaAmsterdam
BBostonBoyBAKERBravoBostonBaltimore
CChicagoCastCHARLIECharlieCanadaChile
DDenverDogDAVIDDeltaDenmark
EEdwardEasyEDWARDEchoEnglandEgypt
FFrankFoxFRANKFoxtrotFranceFinland
GGeorgeGeorgeGEORGEGolfGermanyGeneva
HHenryHaveHENRYHotelHonoluluHawaii
IIdaItemIDAIndiaItalyItaly
JJohnJigJOHNJuliettJapanJapan
KKingKingKINGKiloKilowattKentucky
LLincolnLoveLEWISLimaLondonLuxembourg
MMaryMikeMARYMikeMexicoMontreal
NNew YorkNanNANCYNovemberNorwayNicaragua
OOceanOboeOTTOOscarOntarioOcean
PPeterPupPETERPapaPacificPortugal
QQueenQuackQUEENQuebecQuebecQueen
RRopertRotROBERTRomeoRadioRomania
SSugarSailSUSANSierraSantiagoSweden
TThomasTareTHOMASTangoTokyoTexas
UUnionUnitUNIONUniformUnitedUruguay
VVictorViceVICTORVictorVictoriaVenezuela
WWilliamWatchWILLIAMWhiskeyWashington
XX-RayX-rayX-RAYX-rayX-Ray
YYoungYokeYOUNGYankeeYokohama
ZZeroZedZEBRAZuluZanzibarZulu
1One-
2Two-
3Tree-
4Fower-
5Fife-
6Six-
7Seven-
8Eight-
9Niner-
0Zero-
.Stop-
.Decimal-

Additions in other languages

Certain languages' standard alphabets have letters, or letters with diacritics, that do not exist in the English alphabet. If these letters have two-letter ASCII substitutes, the ICAO/ITU code words for the two letters are used.

Czech

"ů", historically uo, is Uniform-Oscar.

Danish and Norwegian

In Danish and Norwegian the letters "æ", "ø" and "å" have their own code words. In Danish Ægir, Ødis and Åse represent the three letters, while in Norwegian the three code words are Ægir, Ørnulf and Ågot for civilians and Ærlig, Østen and Åse for military personnel.

Estonian

has four special letters, õ, ä, ö and ü. Õnne represents õ, Ärni for ä, Ööbik for ö and Ülle for ü.

Finnish

In Finnish there are special code words for the letters å, ä and ö. Åke is used to represent å, Äiti is used for ä and Öljy for ö. These code words are used only in national operations, the last remnants of the Finnish radio alphabet.

German and Swedish

In German, Alfa-Echo may be used for "ä", Oscar-Echo for "ö", Sierra-Sierra for "ß", and Uniform-Echo for "ü". The same applies to "ä" and "ö" in Swedish, though Ärlig and Östen, from the Swedish spelling alphabet, are also used; similarly, Åke may be used for "å".

Greek

The Greek spelling alphabet is a spelling alphabet for the Greek language, i.e. a set of names used in lieu of alphabet letters for the purpose of spelling out words. It is used by the Greek armed and emergency services.

Malay

and related languages represent letter "L" with "London", since the word lima also means "five" in these languages.

Russian

The Russian spelling alphabet is a spelling alphabet for the Russian version of the Cyrillic alphabet.

Spanish

In Spanish the word ñoño is used for ñ.

Table of other language additions

SymbolNATO phonetic alphabetFrenchGerman / Austrian DutchItalianSpanishSwedishDanishNorwegianFinnishTurkishEuropean PortugueseBrazilian PortugueseRomanianCzechYugoslavSlovene
AAlphaAnatoleAntonAnna/AntonAnconaAntonioAdamAnnaAnnaAarneAdanaAveiroAmorAnaAdamAvalaAnkaran
Ä--Ärger---Ärlig--Äiti-------
Å------ÅkeÅseÅseÅke-------
Æ-------ÆgirÆrlig--------
BBravoBertheBertaBernardBolognaBurgosBertilBernhardBernhardBerttaBoluBragaBandeiraBarbuBoženaBeogradBled
CCharlieCélestinCäsarCornelisComoCarmenCaesarCecilieCaesarCelsiusCeyhanCoimbraCobraConstantinCyrilCetinjeCelje
Ç----------Çanakkale------
Ch--Charlotte--Chocolate--------Chrudim--
Č---------------ČačakČatež
Ć---------------Ćuprija-
DDeltaDésiréDoraDirkDomodossolaDavidDavidDavidDavidDaavidDenizliDafundoDadoDumitruDavidDubrovnikDrava
DŽ---------------džamija-
Đ---------------Đakovo-
EEchoEugèneEmilEduardEmpoliEspañaErikErikEdithEemeliEdirneÉvoraEstrelaElenaEmilEvropaEvropa
FFoxtrotFrançoisFriedrichFerdinandFirenzeFranciaFilipFrederikFredrikFaaraoFatsaFaroFeiraFloreaFrantišekFočaFala
GGolfGastonGustavGerardGenovaGranadaGustavGeorgGustavGideonGiresunGuardaGoiabaGheorgheGustavGoricaGorica
Ğ----------Yumuşak G------
HHotelHenriHeinrichHendrikHotelHistoriaHelgeHansHaraldHeikkiHatayHortaHotelHaralambieHelenaHercegovinaHrastnik
IIndiaIrmaIdaIzaakImolaInésIvarIdaIvarIivariIspartaItáliaÍndioIonIvanIstraIzola
İ----------İzmir------
JJulietJosephJuliusJuliusJollyJoséJohanJohanJohanJussiJandarmaJoséJoséJeanJosefJadranJadran
KKiloKléberKaufmann / KonradKarelKappaKiloKalleKarenKarinKalleKarsKodakKiwiKilogramKarelKosovoKamnik
LLimaLouisLudwigLodewijkLivornoLorenzoLudvigLudvigLudvigLauriLüleburgazLisboaLuaLazărLudvikLikaLjubljana
Ll-----Llave-----------
LJ---------------Ljubljana-
MMikeMarcelMarthaMariaMilanoMadridMartinMariMartinMattiMuşMariaMariaMariaMarieMostarMaribor
NNovemberNicolasNordpolNicoNapoliNavidadNiklasNikolajNilsNiiloNiğdeNazaréNavioNicolaeNorbertNišNanos
Ñ-----Ñoño-----------
NJ---------------Njegoš-
OOscarOscarOttoOttoOtrantoOviedoOlofOdinOliviaOttoOrduOvarOuroOlgaOtakarOsijekOrmož
Ö--Ökonom / Österreich---Östen--ÖljyÖdemiş------
Ø-------ØresundØsten--------
PPapaPierrePaulaPieterPadovaParísPetterPeterPetterPaavoPolatlıPortoPipaPetrePetrPirotPiran
QQuebecQuintalQuelleQuotiëntQuadroQuesoQuintusQuintusQuintusKuu-QueluzQuilomboQu QuidokvadratQueen
RRomeoRaoulRichardRichardRomaRamónRudolfRasmusRikardRistoRizeRossioRaizRaduRudolfRijekaRavne
SSierraSuzanneSamuel / SiegfriedSimonSavonaSábadoSigurdSørenSigridSakariSinopSetúbalSaciSanduSvatoplukSkopjeSoča
Ş----------Şırnak------
Sch--Schule--------------
ß--Eszett / scharfes S--------------
Š---------------ŠibenikŠmarje
TTangoThérèseTheodorTheodorTorinoToledoToreTheodorTeodorTyyneTokatTaviraTatuTudorTomášTuzlaTriglav
UUniformUrsuleUlrichUtrechtUdineUlisesUrbanUllaUlrikUrhoUşakUnidadeUvaUdreaUrbanUžiceUnec
Ü--Übermut / Übel-------Ünye------
VVictorVictorViktorVictorVeneziaValenciaViktorViggoEnkelt-VVihtoriVanVidagoVitóriaVasileVáclavValjevoVelenje
WWhiskeyWilliamWilhelmWillemWashingtonWashingtonWilhelmWilliamDobbelt-WWiski-WaldemarWilsondublu vdvojité Vduplo veDvojni v
XX-rayXavierXanthippe / XaverXanthippeIcs, Xeres, XilofonoXilófonoXerxesXerxesXerxesÄksä-XavierXadrezXeniaXaveriksIks
IJ---IJmuiden-------------
YYankeeYvonneYpsilonYpsilonYork, yachtYolandaYngveYrsaYnglingYrjöYozgatYorkYolandaI grecYpsilonipsilonIpsilon
ZZuluZoéZacharias / ZürichZaandamZaraZaragozaZätaZackariasZakariasTsetaZonguldakZulmiraZebraZahărZuzanaZagrebZalog
Ž---------------ŽirovnicaŽalec

Other alphabets

The PGP word list, the Bubble Babble wordlist used by ssh-keygen, and the S/KEY dictionary, are spelling alphabets for public key fingerprints - a set of names given to data bytes for the purpose of spelling out binary data in a clear and unambiguous way via a voice channel.
Many unofficial spelling alphabets are in use that are not based on a standard, but are based on words the transmitter can remember easily, including first names, states, or cities. The LAPD phonetic alphabet has many first names. The German spelling alphabet also uses first names. Also, during the Vietnam war, soldiers used 'Cain' instead of 'Charlie' because 'Charlie' meant Viet Cong.