Text & Writing Tools

NATO Phonetic Alphabet Converter

Spell out names, codes and booking references with the NATO phonetic alphabet (Alfa, Bravo, Charlie), decode it back, and hear it read aloud.

Type a name, code or reference to spell it out with NATO code words.

Text

NATO phonetic alphabet

Layout

Say "capital" / "small" for letter case

Full NATO alphabet chart

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The official spellings are "Alfa" and "Juliett" so they are pronounced the same in every language.

What Is the NATO Phonetic Alphabet?

The NATO phonetic alphabet - officially the International Radiotelephony Spelling Alphabet - gives each letter a code word: Alfa, Bravo, Charlie, Delta and so on. Saying "Bravo" instead of "B" makes letters impossible to confuse on a bad phone line, where B, D, P and T sound alike. This tool spells any text with those code words and decodes them back.

When to Use It

Reading out a booking reference, a ticket number or a postcode on the phone.
Spelling your name or email address to a call centre.
Learning the alphabet for aviation, sailing, radio or customer service work.

How to Use It

Type the text to spell.
Choose a layout: words on one line, one per line, or "letter = word" pairs.
Click Read Aloud to hear it, or copy it.
To decode, paste code words into the right-hand box.

Example

The booking reference PNR 4XK9QZ becomes Papa November Romeo / Four X-ray Kilo Nine Quebec Zulu. The slash marks the space between the two parts. Tick Say "capital" / "small" when letter case matters, as it does in some passwords and codes.

Why "Alfa" and "Juliett"?

The official spellings are Alfa and Juliett so that speakers of other languages pronounce them correctly: "Alpha" could be read with an F sound missing in some languages, and a single T at the end of "Juliet" may be silent in French. Radio operators say digits in a special way too, such as "niner" for 9, which this tool also understands when decoding.

Limitations

Only the letters A-Z, digits and a few symbols have code words; other characters are skipped and listed below the buttons. Read Aloud uses your browser's built-in voice, so the accent depends on your device. For dots and dashes instead, use the Morse Code Translator.

Frequently Asked Questions

It is used to spell out letters clearly over the phone and radio, where letters such as B, D, P and T sound alike. Pilots, the military, call centres and banks all use it.

The official spelling is Alfa, and Juliett with two Ts, so that speakers of every language pronounce them correctly. Both spellings are understood when decoding.

Numbers are said as normal English words, with a few radio pronunciations such as "niner" for 9 and "tree" for 3. The converter writes the normal words and understands both when decoding.

Yes. Click Read Aloud and your browser reads the code words with its built-in voice, at a slightly slower pace that is easy to follow.