The NATO phonetic alphabet
26 code words, one for each letter, with NATO's official spellings: Alfa and Juliett are spelled that way on purpose, so that speakers of many languages say them correctly. The FAA writes X-ray as Xray. Alpha, Juliet, Xray and Whisky are accepted when typing. It took effect in NATO on March 1, 1956, and is also used in aviation, at sea and on the radio.
When a letter is said over a phone or a radio, B, D, P and V can sound the same. The phonetic alphabet gives each letter a word that can't be mistaken. It is handy for spelling a name or a booking code, and it is used every day by pilots, sailors and emergency services.
Twenty-six words is about five chunks of five. Most words start with their own letter, so the letter is the cue and the word is the picture: picture each one as you say it (a bravo crowd cheering, a foxtrot dancer, a golf ball, a hotel, a kilo of flour, a lime from Lima). Link the words of a chunk into a short story: Alfa and Bravo watch Charlie fish in the Delta, and hear an Echo. Spell your own name out loud with it every day, then try street signs and license plates. Come back on day 1, 3, 7 and 21.
Encode make it vivid → Space bring it back on day 1, 3, 7, 21 → Retrieve pull it from your head. From the infographic Remember It on Purpose.
The NATO phonetic alphabet
| Letter | Code word |
|---|---|
| A | Alfa |
| B | Bravo |
| C | Charlie |
| D | Delta |
| E | Echo |
| F | Foxtrot |
| G | Golf |
| H | Hotel |
| I | India |
| J | Juliett |
| K | Kilo |
| L | Lima |
| M | Mike |
| N | November |
| O | Oscar |
| P | Papa |
| Q | Quebec |
| R | Romeo |
| S | Sierra |
| T | Tango |
| U | Uniform |
| V | Victor |
| W | Whiskey |
| X | X-ray |
| Y | Yankee |
| Z | Zulu |
Twenty-six words is about five chunks of five. Most words start with their own letter, so the letter is the cue and the word is the picture: picture each one as you say it (a bravo crowd cheering, a foxtrot dancer, a golf ball, a hotel, a kilo of flour, a lime from Lima). Link the words of a chunk into a short story: Alfa and Bravo watch Charlie fish in the Delta, and hear an Echo. Spell your own name out loud with it every day, then try street signs and license plates. Come back on day 1, 3, 7 and 21. · teddyrookbook.com/memory/challenges/nato-phonetic-alphabet/
Sources
- NATO: The NATO Phonetic Alphabet
- Federal Aviation Administration: Aeronautical Information Manual, paragraph 4-2-7 (the phonetic alphabet)
Checked October 31, 2026. Progress is kept on this device only (per learner). More lists: all memory challenges · memory games.