Military Alphabet | Code Language of the Armed Forces (2024)

Have you ever watched a war filmand wondered, “What’s a Foxtrot? Who is Charlie? Did someone say Tango?” Theseunusual wordsbelong to a powerful code language known as the military alphabet. Servicemen and women use this language to improve clarity of communication, and sometimes as a form of slang.

The military alphabet consists of 27 code words. Each represents one letter of the English alphabet. For instance, “Alpha” means “A,” “Bravo” means B, and so on. Multiple code words often arecombinedto form words or expressions. For example, to say“dog,” one would say“Delta-Oscar-Golf.”None of the 27 codewords sound alike, so there is no doubt what is said when spelling this way.

Pronunciation & Printable Charts

LetterCode WordPronunciation **
AAlpha AL fah
BBravo BRAH voh
CCharlie CHAR lee
DDelta DEL tah
EEcho EKK oh
FFoxtrot FOKS trot
GGolf Golf
HHotel HO tell
IIndia IN dee ah
JJuliet JEW lee ett
KKilo KEY loh
LLima LEE mah
MMike MIke
NNovember NOH vem ber
OOscar OSS car
PPapa PAH pah
QQuebec keh BECK
RRomeo ROW me oh
SSierra see AIR ah
TTango TANG go
UUniform YOU nee form
VVictor VIK ter
WWhiskey WISS key
XX-Ray EKS ray
YYankee YANG kee
ZZulu ZOO loo

Use in the Armed Forces

You may have noticed that many english letters sound similar. For example, it’s common to mistake “B” for a “P,” “C” for “E,” and so on. For most of us, this sort of error might cause a mislabeled package shipment or a misspelled dinner invitation. However, for a soldier or fighter pilot, a misheard command or radio signal can mean life or death.

Therefore, radio operators in the armed services often rely on the military alphabet when sending codes or relaying important information. This ensures clear communication, regardless of background noise or radio interference.

In addition, men and women in the service often use the “alpha bravo charlie” alphabet as a form of shorthand or slang. Some popular expressions include:

  • Oscar-Mike (“on the move”): a unit is moving between positions
  • Charlie Mike (“continue mission”): a mission will continued following an interruption
  • Tango Delta (“target down”): the enemy waseliminated
  • Lima Charlie(“loud and clear”): confirmationof received instructions

To discover more expressions, check out our list of military slang.

Use Outside the Military

Military alphabet has also proven a very useful tool in civilian life. Here are just a few examples:

  • Commercial airlines across the globeuse thealpha bravo charlie language to communicate flight coordinates and passenger names. Some airlines replace Delta (code for “d”) with an alternative word. This is to avoid confusion with Delta Airlines. This is sometimes known as the Aviation Alphabet.
  • US police forces have developed their own “phonetic”alphabet: The Police Alphabet
  • Banks, traders and financial institutions often use the military alphabet when ordering large transactions over the phone

Is Military Alphabet a Phonetic Alphabet?

Many refer to the military alphabet as a phoneticalphabet. This is technically not accurate. A phonetic alphabets aids in the pronunciation of words. Themilitary alphabet is used to spell outwords, andis more correctly known as a “spelling alphabet”.

History of the Military Alphabet

Over the the firsthalf of the 20th century, several different spelling alphabets came in and out of use. Then, in 1957, Nato and the US introduced a common system, which still remains in use.

WW1-WW2

The earliest use of into use during the early twentiethcentury. AM radio technology enabled pilots to coordinate with ground control, but poor signal and radio interference caused frequent errors. To solve this problem, flightassociations startedusing code words to represent easily confused letters.

During WWI, the British Royal Airforce introduced the first complete spelling alphabet, the RAF radio alphabet.

Later, in 1927, the International Telegraph Union (ITU) developed a spelling alphabet for telegram communication. Over time, this systemgrew in popularity. By the start of WWII, most commercial airlines around the globe were using the ITU code words.

The next major evolution took place in 1941, around the start of the Second World War II. At this time, the US introduced a standard spelling language across all branches of the armed forces. The Joint Army / Navy Phonetic Alphabet, also known as the “Able Baker Charlie” alphabet, can be heard in movies and TV shows dating from the 1950s. It has even made its way into modern cinematic depictions of WWII, such as Saving Private Ryan.

1957 – Present

In 1957, the U.S. armed forces and NATO adopted a common alphabet known as the International Radiotelephony Spelling Alphabet (IRSA), or the Nato Phonetic Alphabet for short. The ICAO (International Civil Aviation Authority) developed this system afteryears of carefulresearch and testing. Critically, the ICAO tested each code word in many common dialects. As a result, theIRSA has stoodthe test of time as an international standard.

The US government initially classified the IRSA asconfidential, but soon laterreleased it to the public.The IRSA remains in use today, and has only grown more popular with time. Today we have come to know this extraordinary code language simply as the“military alphabet.”

Military Alphabet Over Time

LetterIRSA (1957-Present)Joint Army (WW2)ITU (1927-WW2)RAF (1913)Morse code
AAlphaAfirmAmsterdam Able. _
BBravoBakerBaltimoreBoy_ . . .
CCharlieCharlieCasablancaCast_ . _ .
DDeltaDogDenmarkDog_ . .
EEchoEasyEdisonEasy.
FFoxtrotFoxFloridaFox. . _ .
GGolfGeorgeGallipoliGeorge_ _ .
HHotelHowHavanaHave. . . .
IIndiaInt (Item)ItaliaItem. .
JJulietJigJerusalemJig. _ _ _
KKiloKingKilogrammeKing_ . _
LLimaLoveLiverpoolLove. _ . .
MMikeMikeMadagascarMike_ _
NNovemberNegat New YorkNan_ .
OOscarOption OsloOboe_ _ _
PPapaPrep ParisPup. _ _ .
QQuebecQueenQuebecQuack_ _ . _
RRomeoRogerRomaRush. _ .
SSierraSugarSantiagoSail. . .
TTangoTareTripoliTare_
UUniformUncleUpsalaUnit. . _
VVictorVictorValenciaVice. . . _
WWhiskeyWilliamWashingtonWatch. _ _
XX-RayX-RayXanthippeX-Ray_ . . _
YYankeeYokeYokohamaYoke_ . _ _
ZZuluZebraYokohamaZed_ _ . .

**Pronunciations by Wikipedia username Valeatory. Licensed under Creative Commons

Military Alphabet | Code Language of the Armed Forces (2024)

FAQs

Military Alphabet | Code Language of the Armed Forces? ›

So here is a cheat sheet: Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, Delta, Echo, Foxtrot, Golf, Hotel, India, Juliett, Kilo, Lima, Mike, November, Oscar, Papa, Quebec, Romeo, Sierra, Tango, Uniform, Victor, Whiskey, X-ray, Yankee, Zulu.

What does Oscar Tango Mike mean? ›

Oscar Mike: On the Move. Tango Mike: Thanks Much. Tango Uniform: Toes Up, meaning killed or destroyed. Tango Yankee: Thank You.

What does Tango Yankee mean? ›

"Tango Yankee" are two code words in the NATO phonetic alphabet that mean thank you. The flag proudly displays the five military emblems, Army, Marines, Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard.

What does Romeo India Papa mean? ›

The acronym 'RIP' is often used in the English language, and it stands for 'Rest in Peace'. To spell this out using the Military Phonetic Alphabet, each letter corresponds to a word. Therefore, the spelling for 'RIP' would be Romeo, India, Papa.

What is the alpha bravo charlie alphabet called? ›

NATO phonetic alphabet, codes and signals.

What is Bravo Charlie Foxtrot? ›

The 26 code words in the NATO phonetic alphabet are assigned to the 26 letters of the English alphabet in alphabetical order as follows: Alfa, Bravo, Charlie, Delta, Echo, Foxtrot, Golf, Hotel, India, Juliett, Kilo, Lima, Mike, November, Oscar, Papa, Quebec, Romeo, Sierra, Tango, Uniform, Victor, Whiskey, X-ray, Yankee ...

What is foxtrot in the military? ›

FOXTROT is simply the phonetic for the letter F. All military (and other agencies) that use radio transmissions on a constant basis, use the phonetic alphabet so that there is no misheard traffic while communicating. Radio transmissions are not clear like cell-phones, and a lot of things end up sounding the same.

What does foxtrot mean in police? ›

Foxtrot is part of a phonetic alphabet used by the military and police. Foxtrot stands for the letter F. In policing, it's used to phonetically spell names or license plates. Example, to spell Fred it would be Foxtrot, Romeo, Echo, Delta.

Why do people say Bravo Zulu? ›

“Bravo Zulu” is a Naval signal, conveyed by flag-hoist or voice radio, meaning “well done;” it has also passed into the spoken and written vocabulary. There are some myths and legends attached to this signal.

What does Viva Il Papa mean? ›

long live the pope. Last Update: 2018-02-13.

What does Romeo Oh Romeo mean? ›

She says the line, ''O' Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?'' The word 'wherefore' means 'why. ' Juliet is asking why Romeo has to have the last name of her family's enemy, why she is fated to love someone so forbidden.

What does Romeo say a kiss? ›

Romeo says that a kiss from Juliet will rid him of his sins.

What is N in military code? ›

NATO Phonetic Alphabet
SymbolCode WordPhonic (pronunciation)
NNovemberNO VEMBER
OOscarOSS CAH
PPapaPAH PAH
QQuebecKEH BECK
22 more rows

Why did zebra change to zulu? ›

Since Greenwich is the site of the “zero meridian,” they called GMT “Zero Time” or simply “Z- Time.” In the phonetic alphabet that the flyers of the time used to make themselves understood on their radios, “Z” became “Zebra.” When the alphabet was changed, the call sign became “Zulu.”

What does echo Bravo mean? ›

If you do not get a code, use the 'Echo code' system, with 'Echo Alpha' meaning the subject is uninjured, 'Echo Bravo' meaning the subject has minor injuries, 'Echo Charlie' meaning the subject has major injuries, and 'Echo Delta' meaning the subject is deceased.

What does Tango Tango mean in military? ›

Tango, besides being meaning letter T in the military phonetic alphabet, most often denotes the word terrorist or enemy combatant. Bandit is the term that describes a suspected to be hostile or hostile aircraft.

What does tango mean in SEAL Team? ›

In the NATO phonetic alphabet, established by the 1930s, the letter T is tango and became slang for target, or “enemy.” To down a target is “to shoot” them, especially when grounding an aircraft, but also “to neutralize” or “kill” them. Tango down thus means the enemy has been defeated.

What is Oscar Mike slang for? ›

We are 'Oscar Mike' (military slang for 'on the move') and we're on a mission to show that, for these veterans, military service is just the beginning.

What does Tango Mike Mike stand for? ›

Tango also used to mean Target. So, if there was a Tango down range, that was a target down range. But, from Vietnam, Tango, Mike, Mike was a call sign of Msg. Roy P. Benavidez, a MOH holder for his actions in saving lives under fire.

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