How to use the nato phonetic alphabet converter
- Choose Text to code words to spell something out, or Code words to text to decode.
- Type or paste into the box. In text mode each letter becomes its code word, each digit becomes a number word, and separate words are divided by a slash.
- Pick ICAO digits for the spoken forms Tree, Fife and Niner, or Plain for Three, Five and Nine. Pick the A as in Alfa layout to put one letter per line.
- Use Keep punctuation as typed if you want hyphens and other symbols left in the output, then press Copy result.
- Open Show the full alphabet and digits for a reference table.
What the NATO phonetic alphabet is
The NATO phonetic alphabet is the spelling alphabet published by the International Civil Aviation Organization, ICAO, and adopted in the 1950s so that pilots, controllers, sailors and soldiers speaking different languages could spell names and codes without confusion. Each letter has a code word chosen to be distinct and easy to pronounce across languages: Alfa, 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 and Zulu.
The official spellings are Alfa and Juliett. Those unusual spellings help speakers of other languages say the words as intended. The decoder side of this tool also accepts the familiar spellings Alpha and Juliet, plus Xray, so you can paste what people actually type.
Digits
In radio practice the digits are said with distinct pronunciations: zero, wun, too, tree, fower, fife, six, seven, ait and niner. These are written in this tool as Zero, Wun, Too, Tree, Fower, Fife, Six, Seven, Ait and Niner when you choose ICAO digits. Plain digits spell out One to Nine for readers who find the radio forms confusing.
For example, the text Hi 5 becomes Hotel India, a slash, then Fife with ICAO digits. With plain digits the 5 would read Five. The slash is only a visual divider between words. When you read it aloud, pause instead.
Common uses and limits
People use a spelling alphabet to give a booking reference or license plate over the phone, to read out a serial number or Wi-Fi password, or to practice for radio licenses. It works for A to Z and 0 to 9 only. Accented letters are reduced to their base letter, so é becomes Echo. Other characters have no standard code word and are skipped, with a note listing what was left out.
This tool follows the ICAO letter list. Some organizations use their own informal words, for example the older police alphabets, and those are not included. Your text is converted in this tab and is not uploaded or saved.
Assumptions and limits
- Letters use the ICAO spellings: Alfa and Juliett.
- Decoding accepts both ICAO and plain digit words, plus Alpha, Juliet and Xray as alternate spellings.
- Accented letters become their base letter. Symbols other than letters and digits are skipped unless you keep them.
- In decode mode, separate code words with spaces or commas and use a slash to start a new word.
- Input is limited to 20,000 characters.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say 9 in the NATO alphabet?
The ICAO radio pronunciation for the digit 9 is Niner, said with two syllables so it is not confused with the German word nein. The plain spelling Nine is available as an option in this converter.
Is it Alpha or Alfa?
The official ICAO spelling is Alfa. It is spelled with an f so that speakers of languages where ph is not pronounced like f will still say it correctly. Alpha is widely used in everyday writing and is accepted when you decode.
What does A as in Alfa mean?
It is a way of spelling out a letter that is easy to mishear. You say the letter, then the code word, for example B as in Bravo. Choose the A as in Alfa layout to get one such line per letter.
Can I turn NATO code words back into normal text?
Yes. Switch to Code words to text and paste the words separated by spaces or commas. Use a slash between words to keep word breaks. Anything that is not a recognized code word is listed so you can fix it.
Why does the converter skip some characters?
The spelling alphabet only defines words for 26 letters and 10 digits. A hyphen, an at sign or an emoji has no standard code word, so it is left out unless you tick Keep punctuation as typed. Related text tools include the Caesar cipher and the case converter.