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NATO Phonetic

NATO Phonetic Alphabet

Use this NATO phonetic alphabet translator to spell text as Alfa, Bravo, Charlie and decode code words back to letters in your browser. Switch between NATO/ICAO, aviation, US police (LAPD) and German DIN 5009 spelling alphabets; choose the output format, hear pronunciation and use the complete reference chart.

Input
0 chars · 0 bytes
Try:
Result
✓ Official NATO/ICAO spelling alphabet, plus police and German variants ✓ No key required — a direct letter-to-word mapping ✓ We never store your messages ✓ Client-side processing only
Examples
Spell a name
Spelling alphabet: NATO / ICAO Separator: Space Output format: Code words only
Input John Smith
Output Juliett Oscar Hotel November / Sierra Mike India Tango Hotel

Each input word becomes a group of code words separated by / .

Aviation numbers
Spelling alphabet: Aviation (ICAO numbers) Separator: Space Output format: Code words only
Input Runway 25
Output Romeo Uniform November Whiskey Alfa Yankee / Two Fife

The aviation variant says Fife for 5 and Niner for 9.

Decode code words
Spelling alphabet: NATO / ICAO Separator: Space Output format: Code words only
Input Charlie Alfa Tango
Output CAT

Decoding is lenient: Alpha, Juliet and X-ray are accepted too.

Police alphabet with letter pairs
Spelling alphabet: Police (LAPD) Separator: Hyphen Output format: Letter = word
Input AB 12
Output A = Adam - B = Boy / 1 = One - 2 = Two

Choose the US police (LAPD) alphabet, hyphen separators and letter pairs when you need an explicit character-by-character spelling.

How the NATO phonetic alphabet works

The NATO phonetic alphabet, formally the International Radiotelephony Spelling Alphabet (also called the ICAO spelling alphabet or military alphabet), gives every letter a distinct code word: A is Alfa, B is Bravo, C is Charlie. These words are designed to remain recognisable over radio static, weak phone calls and language differences, so they are used to spell names, call signs, registration numbers, passwords and short codes aloud.

Enter ordinary text to convert it into code words, or switch to decode mode to turn a spoken or written sequence such as Charlie Alfa Tango back into CAT. The translator recognises the official forms and common alternatives such as Alpha, Juliet, Xray and Whisky. Spaces between original words are shown as /, making long names and identifiers easier to read.

Choose the spelling system that fits your situation: standard NATO/ICAO; Aviation for radio number words such as Tree, Fower, Fife and Niner; the older US police/LAPD set, including Adam, Boy, Charles; or the German DIN 5009 alphabet, including Anton, Berta, Cäsar. You can separate code words with spaces, hyphens, commas or line breaks, and display them either as words alone or as pairs such as A = Alfa.

In encode mode, select Listen to hear the generated words with your browser’s built-in speech synthesis and adjust the reading speed if needed. The conversion and audio are handled locally in your browser; no text needs to be sent to a server.

NATO phonetic alphabet chart

Each letter has one unambiguous code word; the pronunciation shows the officially prescribed stress.

  • AAlfaAL-FAH
  • BBravoBRAH-VOH
  • CCharlieCHAR-LEE
  • DDeltaDELL-TAH
  • EEchoECK-OH
  • FFoxtrotFOKS-TROT
  • GGolfGOLF
  • HHotelHOH-TELL
  • IIndiaIN-DEE-AH
  • JJuliettJEW-LEE-ETT
  • KKiloKEY-LOH
  • LLimaLEE-MAH
  • MMikeMIKE
  • NNovemberNO-VEM-BER
  • OOscarOSS-CAH
  • PPapaPAH-PAH
  • QQuebecKEH-BECK
  • RRomeoROW-ME-OH
  • SSierraSEE-AIR-RAH
  • TTangoTANG-GO
  • UUniformYOU-NEE-FORM
  • VVictorVIK-TAH
  • WWhiskeyWISS-KEY
  • XX-rayECKS-RAY
  • YYankeeYANG-KEY
  • ZZuluZOO-LOO

Numbers

  • 0ZeroZEE-RO
  • 1OneWUN
  • 2TwoTOO
  • 3ThreeTREE
  • 4FourFOWER
  • 5FiveFIFE
  • 6SixSIX
  • 7SevenSEV-EN
  • 8EightAIT
  • 9NineNIN-ER
FAQ

The official ICAO/NATO spellings are Alfa and Juliett — with an F and a double T — so that speakers of any language pronounce them correctly. The common English spellings Alpha and Juliet mean the same letters; this tool outputs the official forms but accepts both when decoding.

In aviation and military radio, several digits are altered so they cannot be confused: nine becomes “niner” (to avoid the German “nein”), five becomes “fife” and three becomes “tree”. Select the Aviation variant to use these number words.

Yes. In encode mode press the Listen button and your browser will read the code words aloud using its built-in speech synthesis. You can also adjust the reading speed. No audio is sent anywhere — it is generated on your device.

Yes. The official system is called the International Radiotelephony Spelling Alphabet and is used by both NATO and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). In everyday use it is commonly called the NATO alphabet, ICAO alphabet or aviation spelling alphabet.

Choose spaces, hyphens, commas or line breaks as the separator. You can also show code words alone, such as “Alfa Bravo”, or include the matching character, such as “A = Alfa, B = Bravo”. A slash marks the boundary between words in the original text.

The encoder converts letters and digits that belong to the selected spelling alphabet and skips other characters, including punctuation. If an unrecognised token appears while decoding, the result shows a question mark, so you can spot and correct it.
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