The NATO Alphabet
Have you ever been on the phone and had a hard time spelling an important place or name because the letters, B, C, D, E, G, P, T, V, and Z all sound similar? Well, the British and American military had the same problem during WWI and WWII while communicating over the radio, especially during times of combat when bombs and gunfire could be heard over the transmissions. A lot of people had died because they couldn't communicate clearly over the radio back in the day when the technology wasn't the best and it was difficult to hear each other clearly or it was the first time they'd heard a particular accent or way of speaking. I remember hanging out with the British for the first time and having difficulty understanding them even though we were right next to each other, got along, and were in the same quiet room together so I can't imagine how hard it must have been for allied troops trying to communicate over their crappy radios a century ago.
Where did it come from?
There were lots of different versions of phonetic alphabets used over the years before everyone started using the same international standard. I won't bore you with the history of all the different versions and acronyms that came before 1956, but after WWII and airplanes became a global thing we needed everyone to use the same system so that's where the NATO version came from. It's used globally in several fields including aviation, maritime operations, the military, emergency services, hotels, and telemarketing jobs where precise and clear communication is crucial.
The NATO Alphabet isn't just a tool for soldiers or pilots. It's a skill that can benefit both you and the young people in your life. It can help in getting several jobs and makes for a great skill to list on a resume. It can also be used as replacement words to encode your language, communicate discretely, or add a layer of privacy to your conversations. When I was working at a five-star hotel I had to train the reception staff how to use the NATO alphabet correctly and remind them that those of us who are familiar with it think you sound dumb if you say apple, boy, or cat instead of Alfa, Bravo, or Charlie. When I was in the army and we'd watch shows about cops we'd always laugh at them for doing that too. It's really not that hard to learn. I made a YouTube video going through the alphabet a few years ago. Check it out. It's only a couple of minutes long.
Alfa to Zulu
Did you watch my video? If not it's OK. Let's take a look at each letter. Spelling doesn't matter. You can use any other language too. Even if you have difficulty pronouncing English that's fine, because each letter sounds unique and doesn't sound like any other letter.
A - Alfa 🦍
This is like the alpha male or the first letter in the Greek alphabet.
B - Bravo 👏
Bravo! You did a great job! You've now made it to the second letter!
C - Charlie 🇻🇳
The first Charlie that comes to mind for me is Charlie Brown or Charlie Chaplin. If you ever watch an old Vietnam War movie you'll notice that they refer to the Vietnamese as "Charlie". That's because they were the Vietnamese Communists and Charlie is used as code for that. Remember, "Charlie don't surf!"
D - Delta 🔺
Delta Airlines fucking sucks. I would never use them if I had a choice, but this delta comes from the Greek letter that looks like a triangle.
E - Echo 🔁
Echo... Echo... Echo... I think you know about this one. Go to your nearest canyon to hear the best echo. What about Amazon Echo? Do you have one? I bought one once, but my daughter stole it from me so I never got to use it. I have Google Home, but it's terrible.
F - Foxtrot 💃
Can you do the Foxtrot? If you don't know about this type of dancing ask your grandma.
G - Golf ⛳
I don't think I need to explain this one.
H - Hotel 🛎️
Or this one.
I - India 🇮🇳
They could've used Iceland, Iraq, Israel, or Indonesia for the letter I, but India has the most people and most known so that's probably why they used that country.
J - Juliett 👫
Did you see Shakespeare's play or see the movie? Maybe your high school teacher made you read it or play it in acting class. I always think about the Leonardo Dicaprio version even though I never could watch the whole thing to the end.
K - Kilo ⚖️
How many kilograms are there in a pound? Since most of the world uses the metric system, I can see why they used Kilo for the letter K.
L - Lima 🇵🇪
I've never been to Peru, but Lima is their capital and a well-known city.
M - Mike 🎤
I think they are talking about a guy named Mike, but since most people using the NATO Alphabet were using a mic or microphone this one makes sense too.
N - November 🦃
I live in Laos and they don't have names for their months they just refer to November as the eleventh month in the Lao language. Most of us think of Thanksgiving or Black Friday when November comes around.
O - Oscar🏆
And the Oscar goes too...
P - Papa 👨👦👦
Daddy
Q - Quebec 🇨🇦
How's your French?
R - Romeo 👫
Shakespeare again.
S - Sierra 🏞️
Sierra means mountain range in Spanish.
T - Tango 🕺
More old-school dancing.
U - Uniform 💂
Since most of the people using this alphabet are wearing uniforms, this one makes a lot of sense too.
V - Victor ✌️
I know a lot of people who's languages don't have a V sound and they can't pronounce it to save their life. Instead of TV, they say, T-wee. Even if they say Wictor, you still know they're talking about the letter V.
W - Whiskey 🥃
What GI or pilot doesn't like this drink?
X - X-ray 🩻
Can you think of a better one for the letter X? Maybe the X-Men? The X-Men comic books didn't come out until 1963 so they missed their shot at being a NATO letter. Sorry Wolverine.
Y - Yankee ⚾
Go home Yankee! No one knows why the Brits called their rebellious brothers this word, but it sure stuck.
Z - Zulu 🇿🇦
Never bring a spear to a gunfight!
Test time
Do you think you remember every letter? It's easy, right? I grew up on my Grandad's airport and was in the military so the NATO Alphabet is second nature or like riding a bike for me. What about you? How many letters can you get right? Wanna take a test? Below is a link to NATO's website and you can go through each letter.
Time for dirty talk!
How did you do on the NATO Alphabet test? Did you score 26/26? Now let's move on to a more controversial way to use the NATO Alphabet, swearing in NATO code. I'll list some commonly used ways grunts and pilots swear and you guess what they're really saying...
"I'm so sick of these Oscar Foxes driving all slow in front of us!"
"Why does he have to be such an Alpha Hotel all the time?"
"Whisky Tango Foxtrot is this sir?"
"Tell that Delta Bravo I never want to see her again!"
If you swear on some social media platforms you can get flagged or blacklisted by violating their "community guidelines", but their AI is oblivious to this type of language and doesn't seem to know the NATO code for swearing and neither do most people so have fun. Now golf tango foxtrot out of my face! And have a nice day.