NATO phonetic alphabet converter
This tool turns any text into its NATO phonetic alphabet equivalent. Type a name, password, postcode, or call sign and each letter is replaced by the standard code word — Alfa, Bravo, Charlie, Delta — so it can be read aloud without confusion over a radio or phone.
How it works
The converter uses the International Radiotelephony Spelling Alphabet adopted by NATO and the ICAO. There is a fixed one-to-one mapping from each of the 26 letters to a code word and from each of the 10 digits to its spoken number word. Input is matched case-insensitively, so both g and G produce Golf. Spaces are surfaced as the literal token (space) so word boundaries remain obvious, and unknown symbols pass straight through.
The full letter-to-code-word table
| Letter | Code word | Letter | Code word |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | Alfa | N | November |
| B | Bravo | O | Oscar |
| C | Charlie | P | Papa |
| D | Delta | Q | Quebec |
| E | Echo | R | Romeo |
| F | Foxtrot | S | Sierra |
| G | Golf | T | Tango |
| H | Hotel | U | Uniform |
| I | India | V | Victor |
| J | Juliett | W | Whiskey |
| K | Kilo | X | X-ray |
| L | Lima | Y | Yankee |
| M | Mike | Z | Zulu |
Digits are spoken as Zero, One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight, Nine.
Example and practical use
The text Gera 42 becomes Golf Echo Romeo Alfa (space) Four Two. This is exactly how you would read a confirmation code over the phone to remove any doubt about whether you said B or P, V or B, M or N.
The problem the phonetic alphabet solves is that spoken letter names are prone to mishearing, especially over radio or phone connections with background noise or compression artefacts. The code words were chosen and tested to be maximally distinct from each other when spoken aloud in different languages and accents — which is why Alfa is spelled with an f rather than ph, ensuring speakers of romance languages pronounce the f sound correctly rather than a p.
Where it is actually used
- Aviation — pilots and controllers read back call signs, headings, and clearances letter by letter to prevent costly misunderstandings.
- Emergency services — police and fire services spell surnames, vehicle plates, and addresses phonetically on radio channels.
- Call centres — agents confirm email addresses, account numbers, and postcodes using the alphabet to avoid spelling errors.
- Military — the original use case; coordinating across units and languages where one misheard letter could redirect forces.
- IT and support — technicians reading out passwords, server names, and API keys over calls where screensharing is not available.