The ICAO phonetic alphabet, exactly as Annex 10 spells it
The spelling alphabet exists for one reason: letters sound alike over a noisy radio, and words do not. The exam does not ask whether you know that Bravo is B. It asks for the exact ICAO form and the exact pronunciation, because that is what the regulation specifies. This page has both, and the traps.
The 26 words
| Letter | Word | Say it |
|---|---|---|
| A | ALFA | AL-FAH |
| B | BRAVO | BRAH-VOH |
| C | CHARLIE | CHAR-LEE (or SHAR-LEE) |
| D | DELTA | DELL-TAH |
| E | ECHO | ECK-OH |
| F | FOXTROT | FOKS-TROT |
| G | GOLF | GOLF |
| H | HOTEL | HOH-TELL |
| I | INDIA | IN-DEE-AH |
| J | JULIETT | JEW-LEE-ETT |
| K | KILO | KEY-LOH |
| L | LIMA | LEE-MAH |
| M | MIKE | MIKE |
| N | NOVEMBER | NO-VEM-BER |
| O | OSCAR | OSS-CAH |
| P | PAPA | PAH-PAH |
| Q | QUEBEC | KEH-BECK |
| R | ROMEO | ROW-ME-OH |
| S | SIERRA | SEE-AIR-RAH |
| T | TANGO | TANG-GO |
| U | UNIFORM | YOU-NEE-FORM (or OO-NEE-FORM) |
| V | VICTOR | VIK-TAH |
| W | WHISKEY | WISS-KEY |
| X | X-RAY | ECKS-RAY |
| Y | YANKEE | YANG-KEY |
| Z | ZULU | ZOO-LOO |
Source: ICAO Annex 10, Volume II, 5.2.1.3 (spelling alphabet).
The digits and a few number words
| Digit or word | Say it | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | ZE-RO | Never “oh”: it can be heard as the letter O. |
| 1 | WUN | |
| 2 | TOO | |
| 3 | TREE | No “th”, which many languages cannot say. |
| 4 | FOW-er | |
| 5 | FIFE | Cannot be confused with NIN-er. |
| 6 | SIX | |
| 7 | SEV-en | |
| 8 | AIT | |
| 9 | NIN-er | The extra syllable separates it from the German “nein”. |
| Decimal point | DAY-SEE-MAL | |
| Hundred | HUN-dred | |
| Thousand | TOU-SAND |
Source: ICAO Annex 10, Volume II, 5.2.1.4 (transmission of numbers).
How numbers are transmitted
Numbers go digit by digit, except whole hundreds and whole thousands, which use the words. Some examples:
- 118.1 MHz: ONE ONE EIGHT DECIMAL ONE.
- 2 500 ft: TWO THOUSAND FIVE HUNDRED.
- 10 000 ft: ONE ZERO THOUSAND.
- FL100: FLIGHT LEVEL ONE HUNDRED. FL180: FLIGHT LEVEL ONE EIGHT ZERO.
- Heading 100°: HEADING ONE ZERO ZERO.
- Squawk 7600: SQUAWK SEVEN SIX ZERO ZERO.
Where students lose marks
- ALFA, not ALPHA. The spelling is chosen so that every language says AL-FAH.
- JULIETT has two Ts. A single T is dropped in French and other languages.
- WHISKEY has an E. The spelling WHISKY is the Scottish one and is not the ICAO form.
- X-RAY has a hyphen. Write it as one unit: X-RAY.
- QUEBEC is KEH-BECK. French pronunciation, not KWEE-BEK.
- The old words are wrong. Able, Baker, Dog, Easy, Fox and the rest of the pre-1956 list are not ICAO. If a wrong option looks like a wartime radio call, it is a distractor.
Using it: registrations, airports and waypoints
An aircraft registration or ICAO code is spelt letter by letter. SE-KMZ is SIERRA ECHO KILO MIKE ZULU. ESSA is ECHO SIERRA SIERRA ALFA, the code for Stockholm Arlanda. A five-letter waypoint name is spelt the same way, one word per letter. Practise by spelling every sign, registration and airport code you see until the words come without thinking.
This is a study aid, not the regulation. The reference for the exam is ICAO Annex 10, Volume II, and the pronunciation your ATO teaches.
Quick answers
Is it ALPHA or ALFA?
ALFA. ICAO spells it without PH so that speakers of every language say AL-FAH.
How do you spell Juliett and Whiskey in the ICAO alphabet?
JULIETT with a double T, so the last T is not dropped, and WHISKEY with an E.
How do you say the digit 9 on the radio?
NIN-er. The digit 3 is TREE, 5 is FIFE and 0 is ZE-RO, never “oh”.
Is the NATO phonetic alphabet the same as the ICAO alphabet?
Yes. The NATO phonetic alphabet is the ICAO spelling alphabet, so the words and the pronunciation are the same.
Make it stick
Fly the ICAO Alphabet drill: every item is a streak you have to land.