So no matter what your accent is, you’ll probably be understood using this alphabet system. Apparently the letters were chosen for understandability based on hundreds of thousands of comprehension tests involving 31 nationalities. A system was developed in the 1950s by the International Civil Aviation Organization to put a word with each letter. So many misunderstandings can happen when spelling. Why? I think it’s because unvoiced sounds like SS and TH don’t carry well over the phone.Īnd we have so many letter names that rhyme: B, C, D, E, G, P, T, V, Z, or A, J, K, or I, W But even though it’s so common, often, over the phone, people don’t understand me. Smith is the most common last name in the United States. So, there is a specific set of words corresponding to each letter of the alphabet to make spelling over the phone much easier. Letter names, over the phone can be unclear and hard to distinguish, and not just for non-native speakers. Have you ever noticed, when you’re on the phone, that you often need to spell things out? Your name, for example, or maybe the name of the street you live on. YouTube blocked? Click here to see the video. Learn the target words in the NATO phonetic alphabet to make spelling out names, address, confirmation numbers, and more much easier! Typically the alphabet would be spoken or written with dropped first-letters wherever appropriate, as in 'ay for 'orses.Alpha, bravo, Charlie: each letter of the alphabet has a target word to increase understandability in spelling. The alphabet is based on a child-like alphabet (A for Apple, etc), replacing the correct words to form puns. Its origins are uncertain, most probably evolving organically in Cockney London in the late 1800s or early 1900s. Not used by any important global standards organisations and certainly not recommended for use in confirming spellings, letters or words-it only confuses people!Īgain, there are different versions of this. See the full alphabet below:Īs mentioned earlier, there are other versions of the alphabet, but the NATO one above is the original and most widely used.įor amusement only. Used by communicators around the world to clarify letters and spellings. NATO Phonetic Alphabet (Spelling Alphabet) If possible, request they confirm your spelling. ‘G, Golf T, Tango W, Whisky,’ or ‘GTW, Golf Tango Whisky.’ The name John would be communicated as 'J: Juliet, O: Oscar, H: Hotel, N: November' or just, 'John – Juliet, Oscar, Hotel, November'. In less formal use, for example by customer service telephone staff, communications tend to give the letters and clarify with each corresponding alphabet word e.g. For example, a registration or call sign of GTW would be stated as "Golf Tango Whisky". When used professionally by the police, military, or other governmental organisation in relaying abbreviations or letter codes, such as registrations, only the corresponding words are stated. The IPA is far more complicated, and as well as by linguists, is utilised by speech therapists, language teachers, etc. The NATO phonetic alphabet used for confirming spelling and words should not be confused with the International Phonetic Alphabet ( IPA) used by linguist to confirm or analyse pronunciation and word sounds. Different versions exist – however, this is the original major standard and still the most widely used. The NATO phonetic alphabet is a useful reference for language and communications training and study. It was originally developed in the 1920s by the International Civil Aviation Organization and subsequently adopted by NATO (the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation) in 1956 among other significant global and national bodies covering telecommunications, maritime, and aviation. Most laypeople will be familiar with it from trying to spell their name or address with a customer service worker. It is used to identify letters precisely when communicating initials, abbreviations or the spellings of words. The phonetic language – also known as the 'spelling alphabet' or the NATO phonetic alphabet-is used by professional communicators like the police, military and other emergency and armed forces. Introduction to the NATO Phonetic Alphabet
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