

Each symbol is used to represent the type of sound marked in bold in the "sounds like" column. This alphabet has remained stable since 1956.The symbols below are used to indicate common vowel sounds in the English language. The most commonly used, internationally recognized, phonetic alphabet is NATO, which begins “A as in Alfa”. Final ThoughtsĪlthough people may frequently use the word “apple” to indicate the letter “a”, there is no official phonetic alphabet beginning this way. Both Australia and Canada use this version. It is the version most likely to be understood by anyone you are communicating with, despite the country they live in. The NATO alphabet is an internationally recognized standard used by NATO’s 30 member states and beyond. Which Should I Use Outside the UK and the US? This is the version that is still used by the majority of law enforcement across the states. However, you could also use the APCO/LAPD alphabet. You should use the NATO phonetic alphabet in the US, as this is the officially adopted version. Operators working in UK call centers will normally have been trained to use this alphabet. This is the standard phonetic alphabet used and will be understood by most people. Phonetic alphabets are used to indicate, through symbols or codes, what a speech sound. Contrary to what its name suggests, the NATO Phonetic Alphabet is not technically a phonetic alphabet. In the UK, you should use the NATO phonetic alphabet. The International Radiotelephony Spelling Alphabet, commonly known as the NATO Phonetic Alphabet, is the world’s most widely used radiotelephone alphabet. In contrast, law enforcement in the UK does use the NATO alphabet. There is some localized variation in the words used but this is the most popular version: In this version, many of the longer words found in NATO are replaced with shorter ones that will be quicker to say in an emergency. Unofficially, most departments still use a variation of the old APCO phonetic alphabet, also known as the LAPD radio alphabet.

Officially, law enforcement across the US adopted the NATO alphabet in 1974. “Alfa” and “Juliett” are both intentionally misspelled to avoid mispronunciations. The words are intended to be easy to understand across language barriers. It is internationally recognized and used as the standard by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). It is designed to be used over radio and telephone and the words were specifically chosen to be distinctive from each other. The NATO phonetic alphabet has existed in its current form since 1956. Watch the video: Only 1 percent of our visitors get these 3 grammar questions right. The most popular and recognized of these is NATO.
#Phonetic spelling alphabet how to#
However, there are standard phonetic alphabets that many people across the world have been taught how to use as a reference point. If you’re trying to communicate with someone over the phone, you could probably come up with your own simple words to let the person on the other side know that you’re, in fact, saying “b for boy” and not “d for dog”. It was briefly used by the British Royal Navy during World War I, but has clearly dipped in popularity ever since. While “A as in Apple” is a term that will ring a bell for many of us, there is no standard phonetic alphabet that begins this way. The NATO phonetic alphabet is currently the most recognized: Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, Delta, Echo, Foxtrot, Golf, Hotel, India, Juliett, Kilo, Lima, Mike, November, Oscar, Papa, Quebec, Romeo, Sierra, Tango, Uniform, Victor, Whiskey, X-ray, Yankee, Zulu. “A as in Apple” is not part of any formally recognized phonetic alphabet.

Is “A as in Apple” part of a recognized list of phonetic alphabet? If so, what comes next? A as in Apple – What Comes Next on the List? When you’re talking on the phone and want to make the spelling of a word clear, you might use the phonetic alphabet for clarity.
