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The ICAO spelling alphabet

The spelling alphabet exists because a single misheard letter can change a clearance. It is internationally uniform – and the prescribed pronunciation is part of that specification, not merely a suggestion.

Applicability: international
Rulemaking authority: ICAO Annex 10, Volume II, Chapter 5; national reproduction in Germany: AIP Germany GEN 3.4
Reviewed by NorthTrack on: 2026-09-13

An editorial note on the source
ICAO Annex 10 and the IFR part of the German Aeronautical Information Publication are behind a charge or a registration. The table reproduced here has not been checked against a retrieved primary document for this edition. What governs is the current edition of ICAO Annex 10, Volume II, Chapter 5, or AIP Germany GEN 3.4.

Letters

• A
  Word: Alfa · Stressed pronunciation: AL FAH
• B
  Word: Bravo · Stressed pronunciation: BRAH VOH
• C
  Word: Charlie · Stressed pronunciation: CHAR LEE
• D
  Word: Delta · Stressed pronunciation: DELL TAH
• E
  Word: Echo · Stressed pronunciation: ECK OH
• F
  Word: Foxtrot · Stressed pronunciation: FOKS TROT
• G
  Word: Golf · Stressed pronunciation: GOLF
• H
  Word: Hotel · Stressed pronunciation: HOH TELL
• I
  Word: India · Stressed pronunciation: IN DEE AH
• J
  Word: Juliett · Stressed pronunciation: JEW LEE ETT
• K
  Word: Kilo · Stressed pronunciation: KEY LOH
• L
  Word: Lima · Stressed pronunciation: LEE MAH
• M
  Word: Mike · Stressed pronunciation: MIKE
• N
  Word: November · Stressed pronunciation: NO VEM BER
• O
  Word: Oscar · Stressed pronunciation: OSS CAH
• P
  Word: Papa · Stressed pronunciation: PAH PAH
• Q
  Word: Quebec · Stressed pronunciation: KEH BECK
• R
  Word: Romeo · Stressed pronunciation: ROW ME OH
• S
  Word: Sierra · Stressed pronunciation: SEE AIR RAH
• T
  Word: Tango · Stressed pronunciation: TANG GO
• U
  Word: Uniform · Stressed pronunciation: YOU NEE FORM
• V
  Word: Victor · Stressed pronunciation: VIK TAH
• W
  Word: Whiskey · Stressed pronunciation: WISS KEY
• X
  Word: X-ray · Stressed pronunciation: ECKS RAY
• Y
  Word: Yankee · Stressed pronunciation: YANG KEY
• Z
  Word: Zulu · Stressed pronunciation: ZOO LOO

The syllables shown in bold carry the stress. The spellings "Alfa" and "Juliett" are deliberate, so that speakers whose language has no "ph" or no silent "t" read them correctly.

Digits and number words

• 0 — ZERO
• 1 — WUN
• 2 — TOO
• 3 — TREE
• 4 — FOWER
• 5 — FIFE
• 6 — SIX
• 7 — SEVEN
• 8 — AIT
• 9 — NINER
• Decimal point — DAY-SEE-MAL
• Hundred — HUN-DRED
• Thousand — TOU-SAND

What it is really needed for

• Call signs – registrations are spelled out, not pronounced as words.
• Taxiways, runway designators and stands – otherwise "Bravo" and "Delta" easily become the same thing in a noisy transmission.
• Reporting points – often single letters, spoken as the whole word.
• Transponder codes and frequencies – digits are spoken individually; "niner" for nine avoids being confused with the German "nein" and the English "no".

Why "tree" and "fife"
The altered pronunciation of the digits is not an accent but a design decision: it keeps numbers distinguishable over the radio even when transmissions are clipped and sibilants disappear.

Radio work can be practised in the radiotelephony modules of the NorthTrack app. Open the NorthTrack app

Official sources

• ICAO: Annex 10 to the Convention on International Civil Aviation, Volume II, Chapter 5 (the spelling alphabet); national reproduction: AIP Germany GEN 3.4 – —. Open source (retrieved 2026-09-13)

Related reading

• Aviation abbreviations

Status of this page
An editorial overview for training purposes. The binding references are the applicable regulations, the Aeronautical Information Publication (AIP), NOTAM, the approved aircraft documentation and the publications of the competent authorities. NorthTrack is not an authority, an examining body or a flight training organisation.
Page current as of: 2026-09-13