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Military Alphabet

by Heidi

Military Alphabet

The military phonetic alphabet was created to properly exchange communication by radio or telephone. More accurately known as International Radiotelephony Spelling Alphabet (IRDS), it consists of 26 code words that substitute each letter of the alphabet. 

The phonetic alphabet is often used by military and civilians to communicate error-free spelling or messages over the phone. For example, Alpha for “A”, Bravo for “B”, and Charlie for “C”. Additionally, IRDS can be used to relay military code, slang, or shortcode. For instance, Bravo Zulu meaning “Well Done”.

History of the Military Phonetic Alphabet

The earliest phonetic alphabet was created in 1927 by the International Telecommunication Union. Its codewords consisted of cities across the world: Amsterdam, Baltimore, Casablanca, Denmark, Edison, Florida, Gallipoli, Havana, Italia, Jerusalem, Kilogramme, Liverpool, Madagascar, New York, Oslo, Paris, Quebec, Roma, Santiago, Tripoli, Uppsala, Valencia, Washington, Xanthippe, Yokohama, Zurich.

Its military use wasn’t pertinent until the coming of World War II.

“Able Baker” 

By 1941, the first two radiotelephonic alphabet codes were created: “Able” and “Baker” to represent the first two letters of the alphabet. The Royal Air Force used a radiotelephony system similar to the U.S, but it was clear the Allies needed a streamlined form of communication. 

After criticism for its English-prominent words, Able Baker was modified to incorporate code words with sounds in English, French, and Spanish and later approved by 31 countries. Able Baker was modified several times before established as the universal IRDS during the Cold War in the 1950s. 

IRDS, developed by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), is used by both the United States and NATO. Only four words – Charlie, Mike, Victor, and X-Ray – are still used from the Able Baker alphabet.


The Military Alphabet

The current military phonetic alphabet with letter characters, telephony, and pronunciation. 

CharacterCode WordPronunciation
AAlphaAL fah
BBravoBRAH voh
CCharlieCHAR lee
DDeltaDEL tah
EEchoEKK oh
FFoxtrotFOKS trot
GGolfGolf
HHotelHO tell
IIndiaIN dee ah
JJulietJEW lee ett
KKiloKEY loh
LLimaLEE mah
MMikeMike
NNovemberNOH vem ber
OOscarOSS car
PPapaPAH pah
QQuebeckeh BECK
RRomeoROW me oh
SSierrasee AIR ah
TTangoTANG go
UUniformYOU nee form
VVictorVIK ter
WWhiskeyWISS key
XX-RayEKS ray
YYankeeYANG kee
ZZuluZOO loo

Common Military Alphabet Phrases

11 Bravo – Army Infantry

40 Mike Mike – 40 Millimeter Grenade or M203 Grenade Launcher

Bravo Zulu – Good Job or Well Done

Charlie Foxtrot – Cluster F**k

Charlie Mike – Continue Mission

Echo Tango Sierra – Expiration Term of Service (someone who is about to complete their tour of duty)

Lima Charlie – Loud and Clear

Mikes – Minutes

November Golf – NG or No Go (fail)

Oscar Mike – On the Move

Tango Mike – Thanks Much

Tango Uniform – Toes Up, meaning killed or destroyed

Tango Yankee – Thank You

Whiskey Charlie – Water Closet (toilet)

Whiskey Pete – White Phosphorus

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot – WTF

Filed Under: Resources

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