#International radiotelephony spelling alphabet how to#
#International radiotelephony spelling alphabet code#

#International radiotelephony spelling alphabet code#

The code word Quebec is pronounced as French 'keh-beck'. Papa is pronounced 'Pa-PAH' with the accent on the second syllable instead of the first. Oscar is pronounced 'oss-cah' and Victor as 'vik-tah' without the 'r', even by people who would normally pronounce it.

Some of the 26 words have altered pronunciations: Charlie can be either 'char-lee' or 'shar-lee', and Uniform is either 'you-nee-form' or 'oo-nee-form', neither of which is the English pronunciation of the word. 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, Zulu. Instead, the International Civil Aviation Organization alphabet assigned code words acrophonically to the letters of the English alphabet so that critical combinations of letters and numbers can be pronounced and understood by those who transmit and receive voice messages by radio or telephone regardless of their native language or the presence of transmission static. Although often called 'phonetic alphabets', spelling alphabets do not have any association with phonetic transcription systems, such as the International Phonetic Alphabet.

The NATO phonetic alphabet, more accurately known as the International Radiotelephony Spelling Alphabet and also called the ICAO phonetic or ICAO spelling alphabet, as well as the ITU phonetic alphabet, is the most widely used spelling alphabet.

The phonetic alphabet also includes numbers one through zero and they also may have a different pronunciation: “Three” is pronounced “Tree” and “Nine” is pronounced “Nine-er”-just like in the movies.Freebase (0.00 / 0 votes) Rate this definition: For example, “Quebec” is pronounced “Key-Beck”, not “Qui-Beck” and “Charlie” may be pronounced “Shar-Lee” by non-English speakers. Take note that some of these words may not be pronounced the same as your own regional pronunciations. It was carefully developed through hundreds of thousands of comprehension tests involving 31 nationalities. In any situation it eliminates confusion when speaking letters that sound the same such as B, C, E, D and G or F and S. Technically called the “International Radiotelephony Spelling Alphabet” the phonetic alphabet facilitates clear communication in situations where two parties may not speak the same language or may have a bad connection. The phonetic alphabet should also be in your intellectual arsenal. You can also download the “Morse Code Flashlight App” that uses your smartphone’s flashlight to run the SOS signal on a continuous loop. If you’d like to learn the whole code, “The Morse Code Trainer” is a handy app that will have you dotting and dashing in no time.

#International radiotelephony spelling alphabet how to#

You don’t have to learn the entire code, but if you’re planning an outdoor adventure you should at least learn how to communicate the SOS distress signal (three dots, three dashes, three dots), and have a flashlight and mirror with you. Think of Morse Code as the original texting: It’s handy in situations where verbal communication isn’t possible and, when used visually, it’s a fast way to send short, important message over long distances.

If Meg hadn’t known SOS, or hadn’t had a way to send the signal, the boat captain could have easily assumed they were just two kayakers out for a wild ride. They got a tow and a dry, safe ride back to the marina. Meg used her smartphone’s flashlight to flash the SOS signal and communicate that they were in trouble. In the distance they saw the park service ferryboat, but they were too far away to be heard. Meg and Chris were kayaking across open water to a national barrier island park when a sudden storm brought 20-knot winds and seas of 3 to 4 feet, conditions that could quickly swamp a sit-on-top kayak. Here’s why all outdoor enthusiasts should learn both:Īnyone who lives or plays in an extreme environment knows even simple problems can go from bad to worse quickly. Morse Code and the NATO phonetic alphabet may seem like outdated or useless knowledge, but they could save your life.