The aviation alphabet (also called the NATO or ICAO phonetic alphabet) assigns a word to each letter A–Z to make radio communication clear and unambiguous.
Full List of Aviation Alphabet
Here are the 26 letters with their standard aviation code words:
- A – Alfa
- B – Bravo
- C – Charlie
- D – Delta
- E – Echo
- F – Foxtrot
- G – Golf
- H – Hotel
- I – India
- J – Juliett
- K – Kilo
- L – Lima
- M – Mike
- N – November
- O – Oscar
- P – Papa
- Q – Quebec
- R – Romeo
- S – Sierra
- T – Tango
- U – Uniform
- V – Victor
- W – Whiskey
- X – X-ray
- Y – Yankee
- Z – Zulu
Why Use These Aviation Alphabet
Pilots and air traffic controllers use this alphabet to spell out call signs, waypoints, and critical information so similar-sounding letters (like M/N or B/D or P/B or D/T) are not confused over radio.
Since air traffic is global, aviation needed a single, language‑neutral standard, and the ICAO/NATO alphabet became that common reference.
Its words were chosen to be recognizable for speakers of many major languages, to avoid negative meanings, and to remain distinct under poor radio conditions, which is why the same set now underpins aviation, military, marine, and many emergency‑service communications worldwide.
FAQ
Why is it called Aviation Alphabet and not “Aviation Alphabets”
In aviation (and in linguistics) the term Aviation Alphabet is correct for a simple reason, it refers to one complete system, not multiple sets. The Aviation Alphabet is a single standardised phonetic system created by ICAO. Even though it contains 26 letters, those letters don’t make it “alphabets.” They form one alphabet, just expressed in a special way (Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, etc).
Which committees tested and approved the list?
ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization) circulated and tested candidate alphabets among its member states and the final list was approved by ICAO’s committee. NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) did its own testing and then adopted the ICAO alphabet as a NATO standard once it met their performance requirements.
What is ICAO?
The ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization) is a United Nations agency that helps 193 countries cooperate and manage international air travel safely and efficiently. It was originally established as ICAN, the International Commission for Air Navigation, before being restructured into ICAO.